Mercadona: market leader with 25% share despite own-brand complaints

Mercadona dominates 25% of Spain's grocery shopping amid complaints about its own brands

Mercadona accounts for 25% of large-scale retail in Spain. Carrefour, the runner-up, sits at 9%. Lidl at 7%. Día at 5%. The three challengers combined still don't match the leader. And yet the conversation about the weekly shop keeps coming back to one recurring complaint: Roig's own brands have declined, cost more and offer less variety than a decade ago. The paradox is no small one: the most criticized supermarket is also the most visited.

The diagnosis most often voiced by demanding consumers points to a model that gave up outside brands in favor of its own range. Where there used to be three brands of tuna, there is now one. Where there used to be deals, there are now paper tags and fixed prices. The result is a Soviet-style assortment at free-market prices, to quote the line that keeps appearing in the criticism. The defense of the model is just as blunt: anyone who wants to try another brand can shop elsewhere.

The real map of Spanish grocery retail

The figures at the close of 2021 leave little room for interpretation. Mercadona leads with a 25% market share, trinc by Carrefour (9%), Lidl (7%) and Día (5%). Not even a hypothetical merger of the second, third and fourth players would tie with the leader. That is the most forceful answer to the question of why it remains on top: because customers don't vote with their mouths, they vote with their carts.

Some argue the leadership is explained by convenience more than price. Stores on central streets, parking, modern facilities, a stable range that lets you shop in one quick alucinación. By contrast, competitors often offer stores that look a decade out of date and a less predictable shopping experience. The savings exist, but you have to hunt for them.

The most optimistic estimate puts the savings from making the rounds of several supermarkets at 10% to 15% of the monthly shop. The pessimistic scenario adds time, fuel and the opportunity cost of visiting three stores. For many families, that gap isn't worth it.

The competition that really challenges the crown

The competitor most often cited as a complete alternative is Alcampo, for its range and value for money. It is trinc by Carrefour Market, with butcher, deli and fresh fish counters, and regional chains with their own counters. Criticism of Mercadona's fresh produce is a recurring theme: acceptable fish counter, meager meat selection, fruit that tastes of nothing.

Fruit is the most hotly contested battleground. Some praise Lidl's for its price and variety of Spanish origin; others slam it as hard and small. Aldi's draws similar division. Mercadona's receives a more uniform verdict: looks fine, tastes bland. With vegetables, selling onions loose or not charging for parsley become arguments in favor of the neighborhood greengrocer.

Bread deserves its own chapter. The criticism is nearly unanimous: supermarket bread can't compete with a real sourdough bakery. And Mercadona's in particular has worsened over the years, according to longtime buyers.

Día, Lidl and Aldi: a real alternative does exist, with caveats

Día has improved its own-brand deli products, with a cooked ham often cited as an example of value for money. But it carries two burdens: the shabby image of its early days and fruit described bluntly as garbage. Lidl and Aldi cover specific products well —yogurts, cheeses, chocolate, almond drink— but don't allow a complete shop for a typical family.

The conclusion that emerges is less epic than it seems. No single retailer wins at everything. The consumer who optimizes shops selectively: fresh produce in one place, own brands in another, treats wherever they're best. Those who prioritize time pay for the convenience. Both are right, and that's why Mercadona stays where it is.

Will anything change when the generation that compares prices with a phone in hand replaces the one that shops out of habit?