{"id":3801,"date":"2015-12-08T20:58:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-09T01:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/mercadona-an-undisputed-winner\/"},"modified":"2015-12-08T21:10:36","modified_gmt":"2015-12-09T02:10:36","slug":"mercadona-an-undisputed-winner","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/mercadona-an-undisputed-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercadona: An Undisputed Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"800px-Mercadona_logo.svg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Satisfying \u2018The Boss\u2019, this is our main objective. For \u2018The Boss\u2019 to fill his\/her shopping cart menu at the lowest possible monthly cost and with the highest quality.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2013 Mercadona\u2019s mission statement<\/p>\n

Mercadona is a leading, family-owned supermarket chain in Spain which has been able to develop a successful business model since 1993 based on its strong focus on \u201cThe Boss\u201d, which is how the company refers to its clients. The model of Mercadona seeks to satisfy the needs of the five stakeholders in its sustainable agro-food chain<\/em>: The Boss, its employees, its suppliers, society, and the capital; placing The Boss at the center of every decision.<\/p>\n

\"Outline<\/a><\/p>\n

With this model, the company has enjoyed double-digit growth for most of the past two decades, thriving through the severe Spanish economic crisis. The company operates a model of urban proximity with over 1,500 stores designed to make shopping quick and easy. With its 22.1% market share, Mercadona is the largest supermarket chain by sales in the country (tripling the 7.7% share of its immediate follower Carrefour) and the third largest by floor space. Five million Spanish households shop at Mercadona.<\/p>\n

To provide the highest quality at the lowest cost, Mercadona developed a line of own-brand products (Hacendado, Bosque Verde, Deliplus, and Compy), which are consistently ranked #1 in terms of value for money by clients and are up to 40% cheaper than its competitors. The goal is to offer a total shopping<\/em> model which meets all the \u2018food, cleaning, hygiene, and pet care needs\u2019 of The Boss.<\/p>\n

\"mercadona-interior\"<\/a>This focus on The Boss\u2019 needs is the source of most of the competitive advantages of Mercadona\u2019s model. For instance, Mercadona noticed that there were some products of which clients were regularly purchasing more than one unit per checkout. Mercadona designed a solution for The Boss by grouping those products in multiple-unit packages and, on average, these products showed an increase in sales of 12 units per store per day. This strategy allowed Mercadona to lower the cost of The Boss\u2019 shopping cart preserving the highest quality.<\/p>\n

Another key element of Mercadona\u2019s operating model is its close relationship with suppliers. The company focuses on a limited number (120) of integrated supplier-manufacturers, with whom it holds a relationship of trust and a model of \u2018virtual integration\u2019. Mercadona invests in them and purchases the products directly from them, eliminating any additional costs from intermediaries and often signing long-term offtake agreements. For instance, Mercadona holds guaranteed contracts at stable prices with the farmers supplying agricultural products. This close, long-term relationship allows the company to squeeze its suppliers and demand the highest level of quality from them.<\/p>\n

Mercadona\u2019s operating model also has a strong focus on innovation. The company is the leader in R&D in the food and personal care industry in Spain, with an average of over 400 innovations per year. In fact, Mercadona was the first retailer in Spain to use barcode scanners. The company has a pragmatic approach to innovation, always pursuing the interests of The Boss. For instance, sticking a plastic lid on the tuna cans to make them easier to open translated into a 60% increase in sales. Of the total 450 innovations in 2014, 100 innovation products came from \u2018co-innovation\u2019 developed in collaboration with clients. The company has 12 \u2018co-innovation\u2019 centers, where it held over 6,000 sessions with The Boss only in 2014. In addition, the company incentivizes innovation among suppliers by, for example, organizing supplier innovation contests such as the \u2018Sorolla\u2019 innovation prize. As a matter of fact, Mercadona suppliers\u2019 investment in R&D doubles the Spanish average.<\/p>\n

\"Mercadona_Exterior\"<\/a>These innovation efforts also help Mercadona reduce unnecessary costs in raw materials, transport and logistics, with measures such as: reducing air content in cereal and nuts packages, switching from glass to plastic in spices packaging, removing duplicate labels and reducing ink in labelling, removing the glossy finish on milk cartons, or using cubic packaging for milk and juices and square bottles for oil (to optimize the space usage). These are only some examples of the constant improvements which have contributed to save around \u20ac500 million per year in cost reductions. Mercadona directly translates these savings into lower prices for The Boss without harming the product quality.<\/p>\n

Mercadona\u2019s marketing model is also designed to reduce costs. The company does not invest in marketing campaigns nor advertising. It just focuses on word of mouth and social media, where it shares photos and videos with thousands of followers (@Mercadona Twitter account currently has 89,000\u00a0followers). Plus, the chain doesn\u2019t have specific sales or discounts since all the products are sold at the lowest possible price, which also simplifies the operations and reduce marketing expenses (e.g. no need to frequently update the supermarket brochures).<\/p>\n

The company has a workforce of over 70,000 employees, all of whom have permanent contracts and salaries above the industry average, including inventive bonuses. Furthermore, Mercadona invests heavily in its employees\u2019 training: over 11,000 of them received training only in 2014. Staff turnover is consistently below 5% per year. This human capital strategy is also designed to serve Mercadona\u2019s business model: \u201cto satisfy The Boss you must be 100% satisfied and 100% committed\u201d.<\/p>\n