Mercadona has established itself as the leading supermarket in Spain, with more than 1,600 stores spread throughout the country and a strong presence in the food distribution market. The famous Valencian chain stands out in the sector for its extensive catalog of products that is constantly renewed to meet the most current customer demands. However, have you ever wondered which was the first store to open?
The idea of the most famous Spanish supermarket of all time was born from a small family business. A project driven by marriage Francisco Roig and Trinidad Alonso, who belonged to the Cárnicas Roig Group. In 1977 they decided to go one step further and expand their domains in the supermarket sector, leaving behind mere specialization in the meat industry and transforming the family business into a grocery store.
They called this new project Mercadona. In this way, Its first supermarket was founded on March 15, 1977 and has not stopped growing since then.. Just a few years later, in 1981, the chain already had more than 8 stores in Valencia. What began as a small local store, promoted by the Roig family, has become the distribution giant that today supplies millions of homes throughout the country.
Interior of a Mercadona supermarket in San Sebastián de los Reyes.
A commercial revolution
Its inauguration marked a milestone in the modernization of retail commerce in Spain, introducing the self-service concept that allowed customers to directly choose productssomething revolutionary at that time. This is possible thanks to the installation of barcode reading through a scanner, a mechanism rarely seen in Spanish supermarkets in the 1980s.
At the same time, in 1988 Mercadona took a leap with the opening of its first fully automated logistics block in Riba-Roja de Turiain Valencia. This innovative distribution center represented a true revolution in the company’s supply chain management, marking a before and after in its operating model. A milestone that was key to reinforcing its national expansion in subsequent years.
In this way, it was the 90s when Mercadona experienced its greatest expansion to date, the one that today has made it position itself as the reference supermarket in Spain. Just 15 years after its opening, the chain already had more than 10,000 workers and 150 stores. It was also at this time when their own brands began to emerge, such as Delyplus or Hacendado, promoted under the SPB motto (Always Low Prices).
Currently, the Valencian chain has 1,617 supermarkets and has begun its international expansion with the opening of several stores in Portugal. The brand not only stands out for its customer-focused business model, but also for its ability to innovate with own brand products, its focus on sustainability and its close collaboration with suppliers.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.es
