Lidl’s German ‘big brother’ arrives in Spain with millions of products to challenge Amazon

Spanish shoppers will soon have a new major online retail option to compare against when making purchases, thanks to the entry of Kaufland, the German supermarket giant. Kaufland, owned by the Schwarz Group, is set to launch an online marketplace in Spain, offering millions of products across over 6,400 categories. The marketplace will primarily serve third-party sellers, handling payment processing and customer service, similar to Amazon or AliExpress.

With its online marketplace, Kaufland aims to provide a European alternative to major international e-commerce platforms. The company is positioning itself as a significant player in the European market, already attracting up to 32 million visitors to its German marketplace monthly. The Spanish launch will initially be an online platform, with potential plans for physical stores in the future.

Kaufland's marketplace will consist of independent sellers, meaning there is no single price for products. Consumers will have the opportunity to compare prices, delivery costs, and other factors before making a purchase. The company already has considerable retail muscle behind its online platform, with over 1,600 physical stores across Europe and rapidly growing sales in newer markets.

The immediate impact of Kaufland's entry is the increased competition in online shopping. Spanish consumers will now have another large European marketplace to choose from, alongside established names like Amazon and AliExpress. For Spanish businesses, the platform provides an additional route to customers both domestically and across other European markets.

However, the real test for Kaufland will be whether it can consistently offer competitive products, prices, and delivery options to attract shoppers away from other retailers.