According to a press release sent to the newsroom, supermarket company Mercadona celebrated its five year anniversary of opening its first store in Portugal on 2 July. It was in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the parish of Canidelo, that on 2 July 2019, the company began its expansion in the country, later opening, that same year, 9 more stores in the districts of Porto, Aveiro, and Braga.

Since that year, it has invested a total of one billion euros in Portugal, which has allowed it to open to date, 50 stores, which accumulate sales of over 2,770 million euros, and two Logistics Blocks - one in Póvoa de Varzim and the other in Almeirim, which will become operational later this year - the latter representing an investment of more than 250 million euros. In terms of employment, over this half decade, Mercadona has created 6,000 new, stable, and quality jobs, all with an effective contract from day one.

It was in 2016 that Mercadona, a leading company in the distribution sector in Spain, announced that it would begin its first internationalisation project, in Portugal, having created the Portuguese company Irmãdona Supermercados for this purpose, based in Vila Nova de Gaia. That same year, it hired its first Portuguese employees and, in 2017, opened its first Co-Innovation Centre in Matosinhos, to adapt its offer to the habits and preferences of the Portuguese consumer.

Two years later, in 2019, with the opening of the Vila Nova de Gaia store, Mercadona already had 1,000 new products for the Portuguese market alone, proof that the company is committed to offering an effective product assortment, with great concern in ensuring maximum quality.

After the opening of several stores in the North region, 2022 was marked by the opening of the first stores in the metropolitan area of ​​Lisbon, in Setúbal and Oeiras.

The internationalisation project in Portugal allowed Mercadona to meet new national producers and integrate them into its range of suppliers, something that will be increased as the project progresses. Another aspect to highlight is the exchange between Portugal and Spain, which made it possible for Spanish consumers to learn about national products, such as bread, pastries, cheeses, and wines, among other Portuguese products. This company's commitment to Portuguese suppliers is reflected in more than 3,000 million euros in purchases from national suppliers since 2019.

Under the premise of “Sharing with Society part of what we receive from it”, Mercadona's journey has also been carried out through the implementation of a Social Action Plan, which includes food donations. In this context, all stores in Portugal have a partnership with a local institution, which from the day the store opens receives essential goods daily. In the last five years, Mercadona has donated around 5,500 tons of food to national and local institutions, in the different regions where it is present.

“Mercadona has advanced and learned a lot with its entry into the highly competitive Portuguese market. Today we are proud to be able to say that the effort we make to adapt to the country is reflected in people's desire to have our supermarkets nearby, but there is still a lot to do to become the Portuguese company we want to be in Portugal. These 5 years have proven to be a good start and today we highlight the motivation to continue building a shared and sustainable growth project, which generates employment and wealth in the country, contributing to its economic development”, says Inês Santos, Director of Institutional Relations of Mercadona in Portugal.