What Mercadona is and which entity this profile covers
Mercadona is a grocery retailer serving households through supermarkets and an online shopping channel. Its activity combines product selection, procurement, storage, distribution and in-store service. Its retail website checks home-delivery availability by postcode; coverage should not be assumed for every location. Mercadona: acceso al servicio de compra online
The Spanish legal entity is Mercadona, S.A. Its registered office is in Albalat dels Sorells, in the province of Valencia, following the change registered in March 2025. This supports its inclusion in Explora’s Spanish-company selection. BORME, 17 de marzo de 2025, acto 128066: Mercadona SA
The annual report uses “Grupo Mercadona” for Mercadona and Irmãdona. This is not the whole of Inmo-Alameda, to which both belong. 2025 report, pp. 96 and 112
Origins and main stages
Operations began in 1977 within Cárnicas Roig, established by Francisco Roig Ballester and Trinidad Alfonso Mocholí. Juan Roig, Hortensia Herrero and other relatives acquired Mercadona in 1981. The Total Quality model followed in 1993; Hacendado, Bosque Verde, Deliplus and Compy in 1996; and the first Portuguese stores in 2019. Corporate timeline
Business model and value chain
A supermarket turns a supply network into an everyday offer for consumers. At Mercadona, three layers should be distinguished: the retail banner, product brands and the companies manufacturing those products. Buying a Hacendado canned product does not necessarily mean buying something made in a Mercadona-owned factory.
Jealsa documents supplying canned products to Mercadona under Hacendado. This illustrates the relationship between a retailer’s brand and a manufacturer: it establishes a supply relationship described by the supplier, not an equity interest or proof that every product under that brand comes from one company. Jealsa: incorporación a International Pole & Line Foundation
Understanding this value chain means following goods from procurement to delivery: availability, storage conditions, order preparation and replenishment affect both service and the work required to provide it. These are Explora’s analytical considerations, not an additional measurement of Mercadona’s productivity.
Stores, logistics and geographical presence
Its retail network is concentrated in Spain and Portugal. The Spanish administrative headquarters and logistics facilities serve different purposes from public-facing supermarkets. ERRE Arquitectura describes the Albalat dels Sorells offices as a corporate campus integrated into Valencia’s agricultural landscape. ERRE Arquitectura: oficinas centrales de Mercadona
In March 2024, WITRON announced a new automated dry-goods warehouse in Guadix, contracted in late 2023, with commissioning planned for 2026. The announcement documents the project but does not, by itself, establish that commissioning occurred. WITRON: Mercadona confía en WITRON para su 16º almacén automático, 28 marzo 2024
This distinction matters when reading expansion plans: a contracted facility, a completed building and an operational centre are different stages. This profile does not turn an expected date into a verified opening.
Economic scale: reporting year and scope
For 2025: revenue, €38,178.460 million; commercial sales, €41,858 million; year-end workforce, 115,000 people; stores, 1,672. Scope: Mercadona and Irmãdona, combined for the annual report. Headcount is not a full-time-equivalent measure. 2025 report, pp. 4–5 and 107
For size comparisons, accounting revenue must remain separate from commercial sales. Portuguese operations must not be added to the group figures a second time. The figure in the annual report is not presented here as a separate audit opinion on these combined measures.
Technology and the digitalisation of work
Mercadona Tech describes teams developing the e-commerce platform and tools for the “Colmenas”, warehouses specialising in online orders. Their remit includes procurement, picking, dispatch and delivery. This establishes technology development tied to operations; it does not, by itself, demonstrate an occupational-health improvement. Mercadona Tech: tecnología y operaciones del canal online
From an editorial perspective, automating a task also calls for reviewing the tasks that remain: supervision, troubleshooting and maintenance. Less manual handling does not automatically imply an equivalent reduction in accidents.
Ownership and leadership: dated evidence
EFE’s results coverage of 10 March 2026 identifies Juan Roig as president. The March 2025 BORME records Hortensia María Herrero Chacón’s re-election as a director and vice-president. These are dated references checked on 8 November 2026; current shareholdings are not assigned without the corresponding evidence. EFE, 2025 results
The relationship between owners, the operating company and investment entities requires preserving their distinct boundaries. Shareholders’ personal projects do not automatically become supermarket activities or subsidiaries. BORME, 17 de marzo de 2025, acto 128066: Mercadona SA
Occupational safety and health: evidence and practical lessons
Documented organisation. Mercadona, S.A.’s collective agreement, covering Spain and agreed for 2024–2028, establishes an in-house prevention service, risk-related health surveillance and an inter-centre safety and health committee. These are commitments and management structures, not proof that accidents do not occur. BOE, articles 2, 3 and 35
Technical example. In 2022, WITRON published statements by Mercadona’s logistics management about automated order picking and reduced physical handling of boxes. This is primary evidence from the supplier and a corporate statement, not an independent study of injuries prevented. WITRON: Always start with the goal in mind, 9 August 2022
Sector context. Spain’s INSST identifies loading, unloading, pallet preparation and picking as tasks requiring assessment of physical workload and musculoskeletal risks. This is sector guidance; it does not assign a particular exposure or outcome to Mercadona. INSST: riesgos de trastornos musculoesqueléticos asociados a carga física en logística
Sabentis editorial interpretation. The case offers a way to study prevention within logistics design and compare a technical change with actual work. A useful assessment would examine effort, posture, repetition, breakdown intervention and workers’ experience. No additional company procedure is claimed without documentary support.
Sustainability and working conditions
On 30 July 2025, Iberdrola announced long-term renewable-power purchase agreements linked to more than 300 MW for Mercadona’s supermarkets and logistics centres. These are announced contracts, not emissions savings calculated by this profile or an occupational-safety certification. Iberdrola España: contratos de energía renovable con Mercadona, 30 julio 2025
For employment conditions, the Spanish agreement provides rules on training, working time, rest and harassment prevention. Its scope does not automatically extend to Irmãdona in Portugal. Understanding a particular condition requires checking the applicable text, its date and any subsequent amendments. Convenio colectivo de Mercadona SA, BOE-A-2024-3851
Challenges and a relevant technology-governance precedent
In July 2021, Spain’s AEPD closed procedure PS/00120/2021 after Mercadona voluntarily paid €2,520,000 in a case involving facial recognition in stores. The resolution records payment on 19 July and the reduction applied; this was not a 2025 penalty. AEPD, PS/00120/2021, resolución de terminación por pago voluntario, 23 julio 2021
Independent reporting by Xataka contextualised the case and the data-protection objections. The editorial lesson is specific: a security rationale does not replace assessment of necessity, proportionality and people’s rights. This precedent does not establish that all of Mercadona’s current systems share the same status. Xataka, 28 julio 2021: reconocimiento facial de Mercadona y sanción AEPD
Frequently asked questions
Is Hacendado a separate company from Mercadona?
Hacendado is a retailer’s brand. A product brand alone does not identify its manufacturer or establish a subsidiary; product labelling and supplier sources help distinguish them. [1] · [2]
Should Portugal’s figures be added to the group total?
Not when the figure already covers Mercadona and Irmãdona. Adding them again would double-count part of the business. [1]
Does automation prove an occupational-safety improvement?
It documents a technical change when confirmed by a source. Claiming a prevention outcome requires comparable exposure or injury measures with a defined period and scope. [1] · [2] · [3]
