Online food sales could reach 5% this year

Online food sales in Spain accounted for 3% of the total in 2021, compared to 1% in Germany, 11% in France and 14 % in the UK, according to a report by AECOC (the Spanish association of manufacturers and distributors). Prior to the start of the pandemic, the level was below 2% in Spain, where there is a traditional model of local retailers. For this year, AECOC estimates the online share may be between 4 and 5%.

Speaking to Efeagro, Rosario Pedrosa, manager of AECOC’s commercial strategy, said: 

“The growth that we have seen during these two years is going to be maintained.” 

She added that the pandemic has demolished some myths – such as the refusal to buy fresh food online – but some “barriers” persist, such as the last-mile challenges like delivery times and costs.

President of ACES (which represents the supermarkets of El Corte Inglés, Carrefour, Alcampo, Lidl and Eroski), Aurelio del Pino, said that physical chains “have also become the favourites again” for purchases over the Internet and “some barriers that existed in this channel have been broken and fresh products have been incorporated normally into the online basket.”