Most Spaniards Still Prefer Markets Over Stores for Fresh Food, Study Finds

Spain's Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) has published the results of a study on shopper satisfaction with fresh produce quality at supermarkets. The survey involved 7,600 people rating products across 48 major retail chains and hypermarkets. Although the quality of meat and fish is broadly satisfactory, most Spaniards prefer to buy fresh produce not at supermarkets but at markets and specialist shops.

Meat received the highest score among fresh products — 76 out of 100. Costco topped the rankings, followed by El Corte Inglés, Hipercor, and Plus Fresc. Despite the positive ratings, around half of respondents said they prefer to buy meat at traditional butchers or markets.

Fish and seafood told a similar story — 72 out of 100. Only six chains scored above 80: El Corte Inglés, Hipercor, Costco, Plus Fresc, Esclat, and Gadis. The OCU notes that most Spaniards favour fishmongers and markets for their seafood.

Fruit and vegetables scored 69 out of 100, with only four chains breaking the 80-point mark: Ametller Origen, Costco, El Corte Inglés, and Hipercor. Notably, fruit and vegetables are the only fresh produce category that most Spaniards buy primarily at a supermarket — two in three respondents said so.

Fresh bread fared worst of all — 63 out of 100, with no chain reaching the 80-point threshold. Only 41% of those surveyed buy bread at a supermarket; the rest prefer bakeries, which they consider to offer better quality.

The study also found that dairy products, oil, pasta, rice, frozen goods, cleaning products, and personal care items are most commonly purchased at supermarkets. The top factor when choosing a retailer is convenience of location, followed by price, product quality, and range. Most shoppers visit a supermarket at least once a week.