Costa Blanca supermarket shoppers tend to stick to what they know when doing the weekly shop. But does your favourite store still come out on top when you look at the Spain’s most popular supermarket chains?
In 2025, Mercadona once again cemented its position as Spain’s leading supermarket chain. It held a commanding market share of 29.5%, unchanged from the previous year.
NielsenIQ provided the figures after tracking the shopping habits of 12,000 households. Carrefour remained Mercadona’s closest competitor but lagged far behind in second place with a 7.2% share, followed by Lidl on 6.2%.
Rivals struggle to close the gap
Other supermarket operators continued to trail well behind the top three. DIA ranked fourth with a 4.8% share, followed by Eroski at 4.3% and Consum on 4.1%. Alcampo recorded 2.9%, while Aldi reached 1.8%. El Corte Inglés rounded out the list with 1.6%.
Over the past decade, shoppers have significantly increased their grocery spending. Total expenditure on the shopping basket rose from €82 billion to €131 billion last year.
Nacho San Martin, NielsenIQ’s general manager for Iberia, told El País that the sector is enjoying strong growth. He said Spain ranks among the countries where food retail has expanded the most and expects this upward trend to continue.
Spain’s most popular supermarket: Shifting habits
Shifting consumer habits are also transforming the supermarket landscape. The study found that teleworking and a growing demand for convenience are steering shoppers away from large hypermarkets and towards smaller local and regional stores.
Regional operators now account for around a quarter of total market share, while hypermarkets continue to lose ground year on year.
When it comes to retail space, Mercadona again leads the market with a 16.7% share. Carrefour follows with 10.9%, ahead of Eroski on 6.3% and DIA on 6%.
Store numbers, however, paint a different picture. DIA operates the largest network with 2,360 outlets. Mercadona runs 1,603 stores, followed by Eroski with 1,374 and Carrefour with 1,175. Consum has 964 stores, Lidl 714, Alcampo 504 and Aldi 495.
Spain’s most popular supermarket
Mercadona began in 1977 as a small family-run butcher’s shop in Valencia. Juan Roig transformed the business into a supermarket chain in 1981, setting it on a path of rapid growth.
Its success has largely stemmed from its own-label brands, including Hacendado and Deliplus, which focus on competitive pricing and reliable quality.
How Lidl and Aldi entered Spain
Lidl entered the Spanish market in 1994, opening its first store in Lleida before expanding rapidly throughout the 1990s.
Aldi arrived later, launching its first Spanish store in 2002. Trademark rights to the Aldi name, held by a local wholesale group, delayed its entry into the market.
