Mercadona’s Roig: ‘If we had the same problem in Portugal as we have in Spain, we would slow down investments’

The president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, believes that the current political situation “is creating a division among Spaniards that is not good for the economy or for Spain”. “If we had the same problem that we have in Spain in Portugal, where Mercadona is in full expansion, we would slow down investments, and that cannot be”, affirms the head of Spain’s leading supermarket chain.

Before his speech at a forum on the Mediterranean Corridor in Ifema, Roig stressed that politicians need “calm, a rhythm to follow and, above all, that they don’t put obstacles in our way”.

He pointed out that businessmen and workers are the ones who generate “wealth and jobs”, and added that “lately what we are seeing is a political confrontation” which, he said, “generates confrontation between Spaniards”, stressing that “if we confront Spaniards, everyone will be worse off”, said the president of one of the largest companies in Spain.

“We need a framework of stability for the whole country”, said the president of Mercadona, who pointed out that the Mediterranean Corridor “is going slower than a bad horse”.

Mercadona, undisputed leader of supermarkets in Spain

The consumer goods sector grew by 8.3% up to August 2023, a performance derived from inflation and the resulting promotional strategies that have allowed the three leaders – Mercadona, Carrefour and Lidl – to continue gaining share in an increasingly competitive environment.

This is the result of the latest distribution balance sheet from the consultancy firm Kantar Worldpanel, which highlights the impact that the announcement of price cuts on 500 items by the undisputed leader, Mercadona, has had on consumer behaviour.

Juan Roig’s chain has gained 0.3% market share, which means that it has 26.1% of the market, an improvement that the consultants justified in the presentation of the report because the Valencian chain has not only regained share in those categories involved in the price cut, but has also experienced a “more transversal” change in trend with this behaviour in six out of 10 of its categories.

According to the director of the consultancy firm’s Retail area, Bernardo Rodilla, one of the chains that has benefited most from the transfer of consumers from the retail or specialist channel, which stems from the search for affordable options at times of high price rises.