ARCHIVED - Mercadona supermarket chain generates almost 4 per cent of all jobs in Spain
The company drives 2.2 per cent of the national GDP and has grown in importance due to the pandemic crisis in other sectors
A study carried out by members of the Valencia Institute of Economic Research (IVIE) has reached the startling conclusion that the supermarket chain Mercadona generates 2.2 per cent of the entire GDP of Spain and is responsible for as much as 3.89 per cent of all employment in the country, including not only those employed directly by the company but also those working in ancillary services and subsidiary companies.
The research also reveals that last year the company’s activity resulted in the payment of 9,046 million euros of tax, following an increase of 4.7 per cent over the year before, making an important contribution to Spain’s capacity for public spending.
In absolute terms it is calculated that the economic activity driven by Mercadona last year amounted to almost 25 billion euros and that the jobs of an astonishing 661,363 people depend directly or indirectly on the chain, while its relative importance to the national economy increased still further last year due to falls in the overall levels of GDP and employment (amounting to 19.8 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively).
All of which adds a whole new dimension to the routine of dropping in to do the weekly shopping!