New supermarket openings continue to increase in Spain and investment figures exceed 1 billion euros. This is confirmed by the figures for 2024, which ended with a total of 25,585 self-service stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets open to the public, a figure that exceeded the previous year by 352 outlets.

244 openings have already been recorded in the first quarter of 2025, 25% more than for the same period in the previous year. These data are part of the Fifth Report on Proximity Food Distribution in Spain, prepared by Retail Data for the Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Service Stores and Supermarkets (Asedas). In addition to the growth of the commercial network, this study analyses the industry’s evolution in terms of employment, profitability and regional expansion, as well as other aspects.

Sustainability and customer service
Investment in the industry has remained between 1 billion and 1.3 billion euros per year in recent years, with around 11,000 jobs created. These figures could also improve in 2025, as Asedas estimates that around 850 new outlets could be opened this year, based on first quarter data.

Most of the industry’s investments in recent years have been aimed at improving  energy efficiency and customer service at establishments. In fact, 23% of the existing network today are establishments that have been opened or refurbished since 2021. This makes Spanish self-service stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets among the most modern in the country.

Employment generation
The industry is also consolidating its position as a job creator, with a growth of 2.8% in 2024 to over 477,000 workers,  415,000 of which are direct jobs and 62,200 are created through related industries. There are in addition another 6,610 people working in wholesale food distribution.

The role of franchises and cooperatives stands out, accounting for 60% of new openings in 2024. These also have a major impact on the rural world, with a third of these openings taking place in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. In fact, food retailing saw more openings than closures last year. In addition to helping to stabilise the population, they generated over 2,000 jobs in this area, mostly for women and immigrants.

^{Photo: Asedas}