Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona has opened an office in Brussels, as it seeks to gain more visibility in Europe, according to local media reports.
Spanish daily El Economista reported that the retailer is aiming to boost direct contacts with EU institutions primarily responsible for legislation and regulation.
Mercadona has been a member of EuroCommerce, which represents the retail and wholesale sectors in Europe, for more than 15 years.
Read More: Mercadona Reports 11% Sales Growth In Full-Year 2022
Improving Cooperation
Through its Brussels office, Mercadona also hopes to improve cooperation with suppliers, to expand its business network and secure international purchases on a global scale.
As well as boasting more than 1,670 supermarkets and 99,000 employees in Spain and Portugal, the company has 12 other subsidiaries and offices in other countries.
Some offices are tasked with supplying certain products of very specific origins, such as foods from Italy, pineapples from Costa Rica, and products from South Africa and China.
Lisbon Opening On The Cards
Meanwhile, in Portugal, Mercadona has made the first step towards opening its first store in the country’s capital, after receiving approval from Lisbon City Hall, reported Economia Online.
Located at Quinta do Lambert, in the parish of Lumiar, the store will extend over two floors and have a commercial area of 3,422 square metres.
Following ten new-store openings in 2022, the Valencia-based company plans to add another ten outlets in 2023.
The already confirmed locations include Mercês (Sintra), Alverca, Torres Vedras, Massamá (Sintra), Correios (Seixal) and Figueira da Foz.
This year in Portugal, Mercadona plans to invest €280 million – a figure that, along with the expansion of the shop network, also includes the construction of a logistics unit at Almeirim.
Read More: Spanish Grocery Sales Surpass €100bn Mark For First Time
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
