New developments in the southeast of Madrid - which will involve the construction of 120,000 homes - are whetting the appetite of various supermarket brands. The first chain to announce the purchase of land for the development of a new shop has been Mercadona, which has paid around 5.5 million euros to acquire 2,600 square metres.
The aim of the food chain is to open a new supermarket in 2027, when the first homes are expected to be delivered. With this move, the Valencian brand is the first acquisition by a supermarket operator. In the same area, Eroski also owns land through a joint venture with the sportsman Sergio Ramos.
The company headed by Juan Roig has bought this land from the Los Berrocales Compensation Board, so that it has had to have the approval of the owners' assembly. The money obtained from the transaction will be invested in the further development of the area, according to the board itself.
The "Estatregia del Sureste" includes the areas of El Cañaveral (which already has part of the housing built), Los Berrocales, Los Ahijones, Los Cerros and Valdecarros. Major developers such as Aedas Homes, Vía Célere, Hábitat Inmobiliaria, Kronos Homes and Grupo Ibosa have already committed to these future neighbourhoods.
Mercadona's expansion strategy
With around 1,650 supermarkets throughout Spain, the brand's expansion policy is very selective. Moreover, Roig already acknowledged last year that the company is close to reaching its maximum number of shops.
In Madrid, Mercadona is interested both in having a presence in these new urban developments and in finding opportunities in the city centre. Last November, the firm opened its 200th store in the region on Príncipe de Vergara street. Previously, the chain had opened another shop on Paseo de las Delicias and another one in the heart of the Malasaña neighbourhood.
The brand, which has tripled in size in 15 years, is focusing its investments on renovating its existing shops, gaining square metres to strengthen its logistics capacity and opening new markets - in 2019, the firm will open in Portugal, where it already has 50 shops.
