Mercadona is preparing to reinforce its presence in Portugal with the opening of the first stores in the Algarve, an expansion that will be accompanied by new hires and salary conditions above the food retail average. The Spanish company confirmed that it will open two supermarkets in the south of the country, in a phase in which it accelerates the growth of its network and introduces new measures for workers.
The arrival in the Algarve is part of an expansion plan that is not limited to the opening of physical spaces, but that combines investment in human resources, a review of benefits and a declared effort to attract workers with no prior experience, at a time of strong competition in the sector.
Portimão and Faro enter the chain map
According to the NiT portal, the first Mercadona stores in the Algarve will be located in Portimão and Faro, although there is still no official date for the openings. Despite this, the recruitment process is already underway for both units, signaling that the opening will take place over the next year.
The company is looking for supermarket operators, maintenance assistants and warehouse operators, covering different functional profiles and qualification levels, in a logic of stable teams from the first day of activity.
Annual salaries above 14,000 euros
The publication writes that, in full-time contracts of 40 hours per week, the annual remuneration starts at 14,963.90 euros and can reach 20,465.10 euros, amounts to which are added daily food allowance and additional compensation for working on Sundays and holidays.
For 20-hour weekly contracts, the annual salary varies between 7,481 euros and 10,232 euros, while the weekend part-time regime, with 15 hours, has base values between 5,611 euros and 7,674 euros per year.
Training included and bonding from the beginning
It should be noted that all job offers include a permanent contract from the first day, as well as an initial period of theoretical and practical training, designed to integrate workers with no previous experience in the distribution sector. It also states that Mercadona emphasizes that prior experience is not a mandatory requirement, focusing on an integration model based on internal learning and the standardization of procedures in the different stores.
In addition to territorial expansion, the company recently announced that all workers in Portugal and Spain will be entitled to an additional week of vacation from 2026, increasing to 29 working days per year.
According to the same source, the Management Committee also decided to distribute, for the second consecutive year, an extraordinary bonus in the global value of 280 million euros, corresponding to a monthly salary, which is in addition to the annual bonus for objectives, which may vary between one or two salaries depending on the length of service.
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