Since 2019, the Spanish retailer has been present in the national market, currently operating 70 stores. This year, the goal is to increase that number to 81 with the opening of 12 new locations. This expansion will extend the supermarket chain’s presence to 16 of Portugal’s 18 districts.
Mercadona is expanding its footprint in Portugal this year, with the first of 12 new stores already inaugurated in Lisbon’s Quinta do Lambert. The Spanish retailer plans to close 2026 with a total of 81 stores across the country.
This expansion will allow the Spanish brand to reach 16 of Portugal’s 18 districts, including a presence in the southern region of Faro. Portimão and Faro have been selected as the cities to establish the Spanish retailer’s presence in the Algarve. The remaining cities slated to receive a new Mercadona store are Covilhã, Vila Real, Beja, Viseu, Moita, Sintra, Amarante, Maia, and Esposende.
The company’s strategy extends beyond simply opening new supermarkets. Mercadona also plans to invest €150 million in Portugal this year.
After seven years in the national market, Mercadona reported its second year of profits, closing 2025 with €26 million, a 271.43% increase compared to the previous year. The strong performance underscores the growing demand for Mercadona’s offerings in the Portuguese market.
Throughout 2025, the retailer invested a total of €140 million in Portugal and saw an 18% increase in sales volume, reaching €2.092 billion.
Through its Portuguese subsidiary, Irmãdona Supermercados, based in Vila Nova de Gaia, the company contributed €273 million in taxes last year, bringing the total tax contribution since beginning operations in Portugal to €879 million.
Mercadona purchased €1.5 billion worth of goods from its more than 1,000 Portuguese suppliers in 2025, a 7% increase year-over-year. Juan Roig, president of Mercadona, stated during a press conference on March 10th that he was pleased with the results, adding, “We have to continue to improve profits, but we are very satisfied with how sales are going in Portugal.”
The company, which closed the year with a global turnover of €41.858 billion and a profit of €1.729 billion, saw its market share grow by 0.8 percentage points in Portugal, reaching 8.8%. Of its total profit, €1.729 billion, the company reinvested approximately 80%, or €1.383 billion, while €346 million was distributed to shareholders.
The company’s outlook for this year includes a 3.5% increase in sales, reaching €43.2 billion, with investments reaching €1 billion.
€3.7 Billion Investment in Coming Years
The retailer’s president announced a €3.7 billion investment over the next several years to transform its supermarkets into “Loja 9” format stores. This new model features increased space for fresh products, streamlines the shopping experience, increases productivity, profitability, and efficiency, and includes a Central Kitchen area to optimize cutting, cooking, and packaging processes. This process is expected to generate a 10% reduction in energy consumption and a 40% reduction in water usage.
The company aims to have all its stores converted to this model by 2033, planning to implement the format in 59 supermarkets this year, though none will be in Portugal.
