Spanish retailer Mercadona posted a net profit of €611 million in 2015, an increase of 12 per cent on the previous year. Annual sales increased by 3 per cent to €20.831bn.
The company recorded a gross profit of €1.214bn for the year, of which €277m was paid in performance-related bonuses, another €495m has been reinvested in the company as equity, and 10 per cent will be distributed among shareholders via dividends.
Mercadona said its move into the Basque Country, efficiency savings and lower oil prices had helped boost profits and sales during the year.
Announcing an online sales increase of 8 per cent to €189m, president Juan Roig said the company is to build its second data processing centre in León and redesign its website in order to further grow this side of the business.
The retailer opened 60 new stores last year, bringing it total number of outlets to 1,574. It is the biggest operator in Spain’s food retail sector with a 22 per cent share of the market.
Roig also announced that €650m will be invested in the company this year, with another 60 store openings planned in addition to the refurbishment of a further 35 outlets and the construction of two logistics centres in Barcelona and Vitoria-Gasteiz.
