The war of the ‘supers’ it worsens in Spain. Although Mercadona continues dominating clearlyaccounting for almost a third of all business nationwide, the latest data from Wordpanel by Numerator show that at least during the first months of 2026 its ‘footprint’ has stabilized while competitors such as Lidl, DIA or Aldi surpassed it in growth.
The report further confirms another trend that has been taking shape for some time retail homeland: the ‘white label’ gain weight among the main chains.
What has happened? We already have the photo of how the country’s large supermarket chains have started the year. Food Retail has advanced the report for the first quarter of 2026 prepared by Worldpanel, which basically allows us to know what weight each company has in the market, whether it has gained or lost ground and how much it depends on the white label.
The study should be taken for what it is (a simple study, with data that they don’t always match with those of other consultancies), but it still leaves some interesting ideas.
What ideas? The first is that Mercadona continues to be the queen and lady of the sector. At least if we talk about market share value. Between January and April the Valencian firm accounted for 27.2% of the national business, which keeps it far from its direct competitors: in second place is Carrefour, with 9%, followed by Lidl (7.3%), Eroski (4.2%), DIA (4%) and Consum (3.8%). The ”TOP 10” is closed by Alcampo (2.8%), Aldi (2.1%), AhorraMas (1.9%) and Bonpreu (1.6%).
It’s nothing new. Mercadona takes time dominating the sector thanks largely to its commitment to the short assortment, the white label (with brands of the chain itself), the sale of cooked food and ready to consume, packaged food and a new approach of establishments that he has named ‘T9’.
Last year Worldpanel already attributed a market share of 27% and there are other consultancies that raise your footprint in the sector at 37%, also well above that estimated for direct rivals such as Carrefour (1.9%), Lidl (8.2%) or Grupo Consum (4.8%).
Does only Mercadona stand out? No. If we focus on market share, the weight of Juan Roig’s chain is overwhelming, but things change when talking about growth. In that case the latest report from Worldpanel shows a different ‘photo’: Mercadona maintains its stable share at around 27%, while other competitors have stepped on the accelerator to widen the gap they occupy in the sector.
The latter is the case of Lidl, which has gone from the 6.8% share it had during the first quarter of 2025 to 7.3% in the equivalent period of 2026, or Total Dia, which has also increased its weight from 3.7% to 4%. Consum (from 3.5 to 3.8%) and Aldi (from 1.9 to 2.1%) also grew while Eroski, Alcampo and Brompreu stagnated. The worst balance goes to Carrefour and AhorraMas, with slight declines.
|
Chain |
Fee 1st quarter of 2025 |
Fee 1st quarter of 2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Mercadona |
27.2% |
27.2% |
|
Carrefour |
9.2% |
9.0% |
|
Lidl |
6.8% |
7.3% |
|
Eroski Group |
4.2% |
4.2% |
|
Total Day |
3.7% |
4.0% |
|
consumption |
3.5% |
3.8% |
|
Alcampo |
2.8% |
2.8% |
|
aldi |
1.9% |
2.1% |
|
You save |
2.0% |
1.9% |
|
Bonpreu Esclat |
1.6% |
1.6% |
Does the report say anything else? Yes. It confirms another trend that has been taking shape for some time in the food distribution business: the increasing weight of the white label in the sector, especially among certain chains that are committed to short assortment. According to the data advanced by Food Retailthe distribution brand has reinforced its already extensive footprint in Mercadona.
From the 77.6% value share in 2025 it has gone to 78.6%. One more percentage point that confirms that schools like Hacendado or Bosque Verde play a fundamental role in the turnover of the Valencian company.
¿And in other chains? The private label has also gained weight in Carrefour (33.3%), Lidl (82.6%), Eroski (32.2%), Dia (66.7%), Consum (37.3%), Alcampo (25.7%), Aldi (77.5%) and AhorraMas (30.7). In fact, among the companies analyzed by Worldpanel it has only lost some ground in Bonpreu Esclat, where it has fallen almost two percentage points to stand at 28.2%.
That the private label has accelerated is not at all surprising in a scenario marked by the increase in the price of the shopping basket (in recent years the prices they have risen much more than salaries) and in which the brands have become a differentiating factor between competitors. In fact, the private label has grown so much that it is already a pillar of the Spanish diet.
Can the focus be expanded? Yes. Worldpanel has not been the only one to put the ‘thermometer’ to the sector. In recent months Algori has also done the same, which confirms that Lidl and Aldi have managed to grow at higher speed that Mercadona, or the employers’ association itself retailwhich insists that the network of establishments has grown clearly in recent months.
Asedas calculate that 2025 closed with 26,068 self-service, supermarkets and hypermarkets, which translates into a “net growth” of 600 stores, well above the 250 registered during fiscal year 2024.
Images | CCOO Services (Flickr) and Eroski S.Coop Group (Flickr)
Via | Food Retail
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