Mercadona's logo on the outside of a supermarket

Mercadona opens its first store in La Palma

08 november 2018
  • The new store, located in the town of Breña Alta, will create 64 new stable quality jobs.
  • €4 million were invested in the new supermarket, which was built with the participation of 70 suppliers, generating more than 250 jobs during the construction stage.
  • This new store, in line with the New Efficient Store Model that Mercadona is implementing in its network, introduces changes into all its areas, as well as environmental, technological and service improvements, with the aim of optimising the total shopping experience of clients.

Mercadona opened today its first supermarket in the island of La Palma, in the town of Breña Alta. The new supermarket, located in the industrial area La Grama, has involved a €4 million investment and has created 64 new stable quality jobs. The store responds to the New Efficient Store Model that Mercadona is implementing in its site network. This New Model reinforces service excellence and optimises the act of shopping of clients. It provides benefits for the “Bosses” (clients), employees, suppliers and society.

Breña Alta's new supermarket has a sales floor of 1,798 sq. m. and was built with the participation of 70 suppliers, generating more than 250 jobs during the construction stage.

Its design has been completely renewed with regards to the previous store model. It includes new colours and materials at the store entrance as well as in the organisation of the different areas. This model provides wide open spaces that encourage natural light and uses warm colours to differentiate the areas.

It has novelties in all its sections. For example, it has specific aisles for fresh milk and cold juice, a new cutting area for meat, a new central gondola in the cosmetics section for specialised beauty products, a fresh orange juice machine, a new area in the fish section for shellfish, and a new bakery area with a bread cutter and cold baked goods, among others.

It also has, as an improvement, a new double glass entrance that prevents air currents, wider aisles, a new shopping cart model and a new basket-type cart model, which are both more ergonomic and lighter.

Technology and ergonomics for employees at Mercadona

Furthermore, the new supermarket includes many measures to improve ergonomics and avoid overstrain, facilitating the daily tasks of employees. For example, the new till furniture was designed by Mercadona in collaboration with the Valencian Biomechanics Institute. The store also has common areas for employees to enjoy more comfort during their breaks, a better equipped dining room, as well as wider and more comfortable personal lockers.

This New Efficient Store Model by Mercadona also makes full use of technology by integrating electronic devices and collaborative tools for the employees. This will enable them to share information from any part of the store, which simplifies the self-management of the supermarket and streamlines the processes of the chain. Among these new devices, there are tills, scales, and electronic tablets that replace paper in administrative tasks. All this technology allows to optimise processes and have real-time knowledge of the store management, which improves decision-making and contributes to agility, especially when managing fresh products. 

Energy savings: eco-efficient store

Environmentally, steps have been taken to reduce energy consumption by up to 40% compared to the traditional store model, thanks to an improvement of the thermal and acoustic insulation, the optimisation of materials and thickness of walls and ceilings, and the use of new freezer chests that are more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly. It also provides an automated LED lighting system that self-regulates depending on the area and time of day, achieving a much more efficient energy management.. 

This supermarket will be open Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 to 21:30, and it has a parking area with 197 spaces, 5 of which have electric vehicle charging points, to facilitate shopping to all clients with private vehicles. Mercadona has also enabled its delivery service and online shopping through the website www.mercadona.es.

This new store provides Mercadona's clients with the benefits of the well-known ALP (Always Low Prices) business policy, a company exclusive, that means Mercadona guarantees the lowest price per product unit, with the best quality, at all times. This enables Mercadona to offer its clients an efficient selection, regardless of the product manufacturer, with the greatest quality and at the lowest price possible.

At the end of 2017, Mercadona had invested more than €480 million in remodelling and opening new supermarkets under this new Store Model.

Mercadona in the Canary Islands

With this new store, the company has 86 supermarkets in the Canary Islands and it closed 2017 with a staff of 4,331 people, with stable quality jobs. Purchases from suppliers from the Canary Islands grew up to €496 million in 2017.

The joint investment by Mercadona and its integrated suppliers in the Canary Islands in 2017 was €32.7 million.