Mercadona Removes Fish Counters: T9 Format Brings Shift To Pre-packaged Seafood

Mercadona is officially removing accepted food counters successful cities for illustration Logroño and Valencia arsenic portion of its caller “T9” shop format rollout this April 2026. The move, confirmed by Juan Roig pursuing a 20% diminution successful nationalist food consumption, replaces staffed work pinch pre-packaged trays to velocity up nan shopping process and trim logistics costs.

For shoppers, nan contiguous consequence is nan nonaccomplishment of personalized food mentation and a displacement toward “ready-to-go” portions. While Mercadona maintains that nan alteration avoids hiring freezes and reduces waste, nan strategy has triggered a viral backlash connected societal media complete accrued integrative usage and nan extremity of Spain’s accepted fishmonger experience.

A alteration that feels bigger than 1 store

Although this circumstantial lawsuit comes from La Rioja, it is not nan first clip Mercadona has made this benignant of change. The institution has been testing pre-packaged food sections successful different parts of Spain for immoderate time. For shoppers, nan quality is immediate. Instead of choosing caller food astatine nan antagonistic and asking for it to beryllium cleaned aliases prepared, everything is already portioned and sealed. For some, that convenience works. For others, it feels for illustration thing important has been taken away.

Shoppers kick astir quality, integrative and nonaccomplishment of service

Many customers reacted quickly online. On X, users person criticised nan decision, pinch immoderate saying nan acquisition now feels “less fresh” and much for illustration a modular supermarket abroad. Others pointed to nan summation successful integrative packaging, questioning whether nan alteration fits pinch increasing concerns astir sustainability.

A communal title is nan nonaccomplishment of individual service. The food antagonistic has traditionally been 1 of nan fewer places successful a supermarket wherever customers could speak straight to staff, inquire questions, and petition circumstantial cuts. Several users besides mentioned that they consciousness they now person little power complete information sizes, often having to bargain much than they need.

@Mercadona hoy maine encontré con la eliminación de pescadería que habéis metido en horribles plásticos!. Me fui misdeed el pescado..
Solución: el día de la semana que toca comprar pescado (sábados) será en otro hiper que se quedarán con mis 270 euros de media de gasto semanal..

— Cuentaspelis (@LaCruzdelSud) January 11, 2025

Buenos días. 🙋 Efectivamente, en algunas tiendas estamos realizando un cambio en la sección de Pescadería. 🐟 Se trata de un nuevo modelo de venta cuyo objetivo es fomentar el consumo del pescado, ofreciéndolo limpio y ya preparado. (1/2)

— Mercadona (@Mercadona) January 12, 2025

Why Mercadona is moving successful this direction

Mercadona has not made a large nationalist announcement astir this circumstantial rollout, but nan reasoning down it is not new. Pre-packaged products are easier to manage. They trim waste, simplify logistics, and velocity up nan shopping process. They besides require less unit connected nan shop floor. From a business constituent of view, it is simply a applicable decision. From a customer constituent of view, it depends connected what you worth more: velocity aliases choice.

What this intends for mundane shopping successful Spain

For galore group surviving successful Spain, particularly those who bask cooking caller food, nan food antagonistic is portion of regular life. It is not conscionable astir buying ingredients, but astir choosing them properly. Without it, shopping becomes much predictable but besides much limited. For expats, this whitethorn make Mercadona consciousness much familiar, particularly for those utilized to supermarkets wherever everything is pre-packed. At nan aforesaid time, it removes 1 of nan much accepted elements of Spanish nutrient culture.

Common questions group are asking

Is Mercadona removing each food counters?
No. Many stores still person them. The alteration is happening gradually and not everyplace astatine once.

Is nan food still fresh?
Yes, it is still handled nether nan aforesaid nutrient information standards. The main quality is really it is presented and sold.

A motion of wherever supermarkets are heading

This is not a melodramatic overnight change, but it does constituent to a clear direction. Supermarkets successful Spain are slow moving towards quicker, much standardised shopping. For immoderate customers, that makes life easier. For others, it takes distant portion of what made shopping present different. For now, nan guidance shows 1 point clearly: group person noticed, and not everyone is happy astir it.