Mercadona has eaten its competence in Spain and in an example to follow by world giants such as Costco, Walmart or Tesco in regard to the profit margin, in which it leads them with a good distance. Behind such specific figures there are usually more general ones, and that is just what the Wordanel by numerator (before Kantar) data that collects expansion shows.
Absolute leader in market share. Mercadona has a 26.7% market share according to Wordpanel data, which represents a sidereal advantage over its closest persecutor, Carrefour (9.2%). They are followed by Lidl (6.7%), Eroski (4.3%), day (3.7%), consume (3.5%) and Alcampo (2.9%).
Stronger in his hegemony. The most striking thing in a domain photo like this is that Mercadona is the second supermarket that grows the most compared to 2024, only behind Lidl ( +0.3% vs +0.4%). In addition, in 2024, Mercadona was the supermarket that grew the most. In addition to growing, it diversifies: one in seven euros of your benefit earns it by selling money, no food.
93.2%: Spaniards are very Mercadona, and much Mercadona. Having a room in the distribution market is already a huge milestone, but of all the data surrounding the Supermarket of Juan Roig, the most surprising is the percentage of buyers who have attended at least once to the supermarket: 93.2%. A figure that speaks not only of how internalized it is to Buy in the Valencian company, but of the amplitude of its presence in the market.
According to the company, it has 1,602 supermarkets on national soil, with establishments in all autonomous communities. The only places where we cannot find a Mercadona are the islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and Formentera.
Lidl is far, far away. In contrast to the figure of Mercadona, which is practically the entire population, the percentage of users who have bought at least once in Lidl is in 69%, which is already a victory itself, because they are almost two points more than a year ago.
And without opening more stores. The total number of Mercadona establishments has a stagnant (or even reducing) a five years. In 2019, the company had 1,626 shops compared to 1,602 today. The great expansion occurred between 2000 and 2010, when they practically tripled their number of stores in Spain. As of 2015, they are around the same numbers.
Changes in already open stores. Mercadona has been applying deep transformations in the establishments that I already had open, gradually making them “8” stores. They are broader, they have more advanced technology and integrate sections such as “ready to eat”, designed for those who buy time, not food. These stores are, according to Juan Roig, “twice as profitable.”
A unique model. In addition to the Spanish market figures, Wordpanel by numerator also collects, with similar methodology, the market share in countries such as France, Ireland, United Kingdom or China. In several of them there are supermarkets that exceed 20% quota with slack, such as Tesco in the United Kingdom or Dunnes in Ireland.
However, Mercadona is the only supermarket of all the analyzed that dominates its market of origin so clear about its maximum competitor. And in Ireland, for example, there are three supermarkets above 20%. In France, three above 17.5%. Spain is a unique case, although Covir will show that the opposite model also works.
Images | Mercadona and INE
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