Mercadona has opened a new supermarket in the Chamberi district of Madrid to showcase its next generation of stores.
The location at 7 Joaquin Maria Lopez street uses the new Store 9 format, which the Spanish supermarket chain plans to gradually roll out to replace its current design.
The most visible changes for shoppers include more space dedicated to fresh food and a completely reorganised interior where products are grouped according to the shopping route. Items that are often bought together are placed closer to each other, and all frozen foods are now concentrated in a single area to reduce the need to cross between aisles. The new layout recognises that every shelf height and aisle can influence a customer's basket.
Central preparation area
Behind the scenes, the daily workflow no longer relies on independent sections. Instead, it is coordinated through shared processes anchored by a single central preparation area.
This central workspace handles the cutting, cooking and packaging of prepared products on site. The company said in a press release that consolidating these tasks frees up floor space for self-service fresh food. The focus on freshness extends to maintaining the cold chain, which the supermarket aims to support by providing coloured bags during shopping.
The back of the store has also been updated with new equipment. Refrigerated display cases use Aerofoil systems to stop cold air spilling into the aisles, and the cooling systems use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. Mercadona estimates the machinery upgrades will cut energy consumption by up to 10 percent and water use by up to 40 percent compared to its older stores.
Rollout across Spain and Portugal
The Chamberi opening required a 9.2 million euro investment and involved 23 construction suppliers. The store employs 48 people, with 28 of those being newly created jobs. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm, and provides 37 parking spaces, including four for electric vehicles, and eight bicycle spaces.
The investment includes refrigeration infrastructure, digital tools and collaborative systems for staff to coordinate work and make decisions inside the store.
Mercadona expects to finish 2026 with about 60 stores adapted to the new layout. The company will continue replacing its previous model until 2033, a project that will mobilise 3.7 billion euros across its network in Spain and Portugal. The physical renewals will run alongside the company's existing online shopping channel, and customers in the area can also buy groceries online and use price comparison apps. The chain ended 2025 with 1,672 stores across the two countries.
