Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona is investing €250 million between 2025 and 2028 to roll out new technological solutions as part of a 'Digital Excellence Plan'.
The company's IT department, Mercadona IT, aims to re-engineer existing projects and improve already-digitalised processes. It is currently working on modernising 300 applications and processes using advanced technologies.
Patricia Tobía, general manager of Mercadona's IT Department (CIO), commented, “We will implement cutting-edge technologies, architectures, and languages that will allow us to advance in agility and efficiency, responding to the new needs of the company and our customers, for whom we want to continue to be a reference in the future.”
Mercadona IT has grown significantly in recent years and now employs 1,200 specialists in various tech fields, working closely with other business areas within Mercadona.
Mercadona credits its technological innovation with streamlining decision-making, optimising costs, ensuring product traceability, and enhancing the customer experience. Examples include energy-efficient store designs and solutions for new business lines like 'Ready to Eat'.
Mercadona IT emphasises the importance of collaboration between technology and business in attracting and retaining talent, offering employees the chance to manage projects from start to finish.
Price Hike For Online Orders
Meanwhile, Mercadona is raising the price of its online grocery orders by 13.7%, from €7.21 to €8.20. This price increase will take effect for deliveries starting 11 February, according to a report in Expansión.
In an email to customers, the company explained that this is the first price increase for online orders in 25 years, despite rising living costs and inflation.
It hopes customers will continue using their online service. The minimum order value of €50 remains unchanged, the report noted.
The latest move follows a price increase in August 2023 for home deliveries of in-store purchases (without a minimum order value), which was the first such increase in 20 years.
