Mercadona

The company was founded in 1977 by Francisco Roig Ballester and Trinidad Alfonso Mocholí in Tavernes Blanques, Valencian Community. Initially operating as a butcher's shop, it expanded into grocery retail and developed into one of Spain's largest supermarket chains.

According to one of the couple's sons, Juan, the name Mercadona was chosen to emulate that of an Italian pasta brand, Mercadonna, but with a slight modification; however, other sources indicate that it comes from the Valencian phrase mercat de dona ("women's market").

In 1981, Juan Roig bought his parents' company, which at that time had eight grocery stores in Valencia, with the support of his wife and his siblings Francisco, Amparo, and Trinidad. In 1981, Juan Roig became CEO, initiating a period of nationwide expansion. In the 1990s, the company redesigned store formats, updated branding, and adopted operational changes to compete with rivals such as Carrefour and Eroski.

Controversies

In June 2025, Mercadona was fined €2.6 million by Spanish data protection authorities for using facial recognition technology in stores without adequate legal basis, raising privacy concerns.

Labour unions have also reported cases of workplace harassment. In June 2025, the Galician CIG union filed a complaint alleging verbal abuse, isolation, and undue pressure on employees at the Porto do Molle store in Nigrán, Spain.

In another widely reported incident, an employee in Spain was dismissed for eating store products (croissants and cookies) without payment. The dismissal was upheld by the courts as proportionate and supported by security footage.