Supermarket chain Mercadona, Spain’s undisputed market leader, has had the best year in its history in terms of both sales and profits.
Net profit up 17 per cent
In 2020, Mercadona saw turnover grow by 5.5 per cent to 26.9 billion euros. Similar to supermarkets in other countries, the retailer fully benefited from the coronavirus pandemic. The chain’s 20 Portuguese stores contributed 186 million euros to the total sales.
The company’s net profit amounted to 727 million euros, 17 per cent more than the previous year. Last year, the retailer recruited 5,000 additional staff members and paid out 409 million euros in bonuses to employees.
Meanwhile, Mercadona is also working on a more digital, more efficient and sustainable business model. It invested around 1.5 billion euros to achieve this, writes ESM. The retailer opened 70 new stores, 10 of which are in Portugal. However, they also had to close 65 older outlets. At the end of 2020, the chain had a total of 1,641 branches.
Challenging year
Juan Roig, president of the Spanish supermarket chain, spoke of a “tough and difficult year” but stressed that the true strength of the company’s transformation is down to the people who are part of the project. “We have all been able, despite moments of uncertainty, to overcome our fears, make courageous decisions and work as a team to keep the company’s more than 1,600 supermarkets open every day.”
