"Once the challenge of achieving profitability has been met, today we face the challenge of expansion." Mercadona has inaugurated this Thursday its fourth “hive”, as the company chaired by Juan Roig calls its exclusive stores for internet sales. The new facility for the company's online business is located in the city of Alicante and joins those in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona.

More than 14 million euros have been invested in the Alicante "hive" and Mercadona expects to have a workforce of 185 people. The company will start the new service in the central area of ​​the Alicante capital and will expand its radius of action in the coming weeks until it reaches a large part of the province and the city of Murcia. With the opening of this new "hive", Mercadona estimates to reach two million in annual online orders.

Last year Mercadona reached 510 million euros in sales through its internet channel, which represents two percent of its total turnover.

All customers in the distribution areas within the radius of action of the "hives" have access to the new website and app to make their purchase, being able to receive it from seven in the morning to ten at night, Monday to Saturday. Mercadona has different sales models based on the demand for orders in each town, although all customers in these areas enjoy the same shopping experience.

On the one hand, the “hives” model caters to areas with a high density of online orders. The one in Alicante joins the other three that the company has in operation in other cities such as Valencia, in operation since 2018; that of Barcelona, ​​since 2019; and that of Madrid, from 2020. To these must be added the fifth “hive” in Seville, which is scheduled to open during the second half of this year.

On the other hand, a new preparation and distribution model from physical stores is also being developed for areas with a lower concentration of orders. For now, this model is underway in part of Castellón and Tarragona and it is planned to continue expanding it in more stores with the aim of bringing the new online purchase to the rest of the cities.

The Mercadona Online team is made up of 1,600 people with stable, quality employment, the majority of whom are pickers and delivery men. More than 45 million euros have been invested in the construction of the four current hives and 15 million euros in a fleet of their own trucks. In 2021 it has increased its sales to 510 million euros, 40% more than in 2020.

According to Juana Roig, general director of Mercadona Online, "with the opening of our fourth hive in Alicante, we are taking another step forward in our vision of satisfying our online customers throughout Spain and Portugal. Having achieved the challenge of achieving profitability, today we face the challenge of expansion. For this, the use of technology is vital. In fact, at the beginning of this month, new Mercadona offices were opened for the online project in Madrid, with which it seeks to incorporate talent into the technological team, expanding access to these profiles.