Spain’s Mercadona to add 10 supermarkets this year, for total of 70

Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona announced on Friday that it plans to open 10 more outlets in Portugal this year, in Loures, Penafiel, Fafe, Leiria, Matosinhos, Palmela, Lisbon and Porto, bringing the number of shops it has in the country to 70.

“This plan confirms that Mercadona will be arriving in Lisbon in 2025, where it plans to open two shops”, in Alta de Lisboa and Quinta do Lambert, the retailer announced in a statement, without disclosing the amounts it would invest in the new supermarkets.

The first opening is scheduled for March, with the debut in the municipality of Loures, in Lisbon district, where two shops are also due to open (Santa Iria de Azoia and Frielas).

In addition, the company’s expansion plan includes new supermarkets in Penafiel (Milhundos), Fafe, Leiria (Vale Sepal), Matosinhos (São Gens), Palmela and Porto (Amial).

One of the new shops, in Alta de Lisboa, is also to house a new corporate office, complementing the existing one in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto), where the company has its headquarters in Portugal.

To this end, the company has already started recruiting workers for various positions, especially supermarket operator, maintenance assistant and warehouse operator (logistics block).

Mercadona opened its first supermarket in Portugal in 2019, in Canidelo, Vila Nova de Gaia, and so far has 60 shops open in 12 districts and two logistics blocks operating in Póvoa de Varzim (Porto) and Almeirim (Santarém); it currently employs 7,000 workers.