Mercadona may not be the biggest retailer in Spain in terms of number of stores, but it is the most profitable by square footage, according to a new report by El Confidencial.
The study reveals that the store earned €9,145 per square metre of store space in 2015. Carrefour came second with sales of €7,158/m2, followed by Lidl on €5,111/m2 and Alcampo (€4,027/m2).
Mercadona recently announced two new store openings in Madrid and Gran Canaria, bring its total number of stores to 1,601. The company has invested €133m in new openings and upgrading existing shops this year alone.
Día leads the pack by a long way in terms of the number of outlets, with 4,941 own stores and franchises at the close of 2015. But it is the least profitable of the six stores analysed with sales per square metre of just €2,617. Eroski was ahead of Día with sales of €3,171/ m2.
“Mercadona doesn’t have the highest number of stores but it is the most profitable when it comes to net annual sales by area,” the report said.
When it comes to profitability per store, Carrefour came top with sales of €13.1m per outlet, followed by Mercadona (€12.1m), Alcampo (€9.2m), Lidl (€5.06m), Eroski (€3.8m) and Día (€1.03m).
Overall, Mercadona posted sales of €19.059bn in 2015, compared with Carrefour’s €7.346bn and Lidl’s €3.171bn.
