Guide to grocery shopping in Spain – Gourmet, discount and local supermarkets

Upon arriving in a new country, one of the most important things you need to know is how to navigate grocery shopping. Like many other countries, there are a lot of supermarket chains in Spain. There are also gourmet stores and ecological stores for higher quality food or food for those that have special diet restrictions. Since the online delivery business is growing rapidly, buying grocery in eCommerce or apps have also become part of some people’s lives. Here in this article, we will talk about everything you need to know about where to buy groceries in Spain.

1. Hypermarkets and supermarket chains

2. Discount supermarket

3. Are all supermercados/supermercats supermarkets?

4. We care for your everyday life!

1. Hypermarkets and supermarket chains

Hypermarkets and supermarkets are grocery stores that people tend to visit. In Spain, some of the most famous chains are:

• Mercadona: the most famous Spanish supermarket. Mercadona is famous for:
  • Great balance between variety and proximity: If you want to find something that is not easy to find in other supermarkets, try to look for it in your mercadona supermarket. However, not like other hypermarkets, there are more mercadona stores and they are usually more accessible.
  • Products produced under its brand: especially the food products because most of them are gluten-free
• Carrefour: This famous French hypermarket chain has the second-highest market share in Spain.
  • It´s easy to find convenience-style stores in most living districts, called ¨Carrefour Express ¨, with a selection of the most easy-to-sell products.
  • Hypermarkets like Carrefour are not that common. There are usually only 2-3 Carrefour markets in big cities.
• El corte inglés: El corte inglés is not only an upmarket commercial center. Some big flagship stores usually contain a supermarket based in the basement.
  • More and better products: The supermarket of El corte inglés is usually considered a high-end supermarket. There you can easily find products of selection and even products from gourmet brands.
• Eroski/Caprabo: a supermarket that originated in the Basque Country. This supermarket has more than 1000 stores across Spain.
  • In most places, it is called Eroski. In Cataluña, it is called Caprabo.
  • They have hypermarket-style installations as well as convenience-style smaller stores. 
• Alcampo: This is another French supermarket chain.
  • It can usually be found on the outskirts of the city.
  • Recently, the company has opened more Alcampo express stores within the city.

Except for the supermarkets mentioned above, in some autonomous regions, there are some regional supermarket chains. For example:

• Cataluña: Bonpreu, Sorli…
• Andalucía: MAS
• Calicia, Castilla y León: Gadis

2. Discount supermarket

The discount market is another popular type of supermarket that people tend to frequent. These supermarkets tend not to have delicate and beautiful store designs but have many products in bulk. In Spain, there are three main discount supermarkets:

• Lidl: a famous German discount store. It offers a great range of discounts. People are especially crazy about their small household appliances and flash offers.
• Aldi: another German discount supermarket, similar to Lidl
• Dia: a Spanish discount supermarket. It stocks many privately labeled products and other national brands. It usually has a better variety of products than its German counterparts.

3. Are all supermercados/supermercats supermarkets?

The title seems like a tongue twister…But this is the final point that we are going to make! In some cities, you might see stores named supermercado/supermarket (in Catalan), plus a name or a noun. Sometimes, they are small local supermarket chains. But in some cases, they are convenience stores. In other cities, this kind of store is named alimentación.

• They might have longer opening hours, and some of them can even be open 24h.
• The products are usually higher priced than in the supermarket chains we mentioned above. That can be seen in the Premium you pay for the convenience they give.
• They are closer to residential districts.
• Some of them might have more of a variety of products: eg. different flavors of potato chips and drinks.

4. We care for your everyday life!

Living a different life outside your country of origin can always be a challenge. We are an insurance company that cares for your everyday life, with highly valued medical insurance (well designed for the very case of expats, which fulfills all the visa/NIE requirements) to assist you in whatever conditions.

If you like to know more about living in Spain, click one of these blogs below: 

• The best places to live in Spain for Expats with different needs
• Curious facts you need to know before moving to Spain
• Reside in Spain: live a unique Mediterranean life
• Cost of living: Is it cheap to live in Spain?

Our content will be updated according to the most recent legislation. Last update: 04/08/2023