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Date Published: 24/01/2025

Spain's favourite supermarket holds its own with cheaper prices

Alid and Consum are gaining ground in Spain with a flurry of new store openings in 2024

With grocery prices in Spain on the rise this year due to increased VAT on many items, consumers are now more than ever on the hunt for the best deals. As families tighten their budgets, the competition among supermarkets has intensified, with each retailer vying to offer the most attractive prices and promotions.

Year after year, Mercadona has emerged as the country’s favourite store thanks to its cut-price offers and great value white brand products, so it should come as no surprise that the Valencian chain is still king of the hill, ending 2024 with a solid 29.5% market share.

According to the 'Consumer Trends 2024' report by Nielsen IQ, Carrefour comes in a distant second with 7.4%, followed by Lidl (6.7%), Dia (4.7%), Eroski (4.4%), Consum (3.9%), Alcampo (3%) and Aldi (1.7%).

Interestingly, both Aldi and Consum have been gaining ground throughout Spain, thanks to a flurry of new store openings.

Regional supermarkets are also holding their own, with households spending about one in every four euros at these local gems. Brands like Consumo and Ahorramás are part of this group, which now accounts for 25% of the market, right behind Mercadona.

While Dia still has the most stores in Spain with 2,288, Carrefour has been on a roll during 2024, adding 77 new locations. Consum opened 35 new stores, Aldi added 33 and Lidl opened 28. On the flip side, Mercadona actually closed 18 stores and El Corte Inglés shut down 40.

Ricardo Alcón, the head of Business Development at Nielsen IQ, notes that the rapid pace of new store openings is attracting new customers, though they might not be as loyal as those who frequent existing stores. Despite this, Aldi, Consum and Eroski have managed to boost their attraction index, with Aldi and Consum leading the pack.

In terms of spending, shoppers in Spain shelled out a whopping 122 million euros on their groceries in 2024, up 4.6% from the previous year. Of course, this is partially driven by the fact that food has become around 2.5% more expensive so last year, households had to fork out an additional 500 euros on groceries.

One interesting trend is the slowdown in the growth of white label or private label supermarket brands. This is largely due to more aggressive promotions by the more expensive name brands, especially in the second half of 2024.

In other news: Anticipated pension increase and transport discount in Spain fails to pass Congress

Image: Freepik

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