UniK SEO recently attended the ‘The Best Store in Portugal 2026’ awards ceremony hosted by Grande Consumo and was an official event partner. Our clients, El Corte Inglés and LEROY MERLIN, were crowned winners in the “Fashion Accessories & Toys” and “DIY & Gardening” categories, respectively.
On March 11th, 2026, Lisbon played host to the ‘The Best Store in Portugal’ awards ceremony, the most important distinction in national retail, promoted by Grande Consumo.
In turn, UniK SEO attended as the event’s official partner, recognizing the brands and stores (both physical and online) that stood out the most among Portuguese consumers over the past year.
In this post, we present the best stores in Portugal, as voted in 2026 (with a special focus on two of our clients who were acknowledged), and share the insights this award reveals about the future of commerce nationwide.
What is ‘The Best Store in Portugal?’
Promoted by Grande Consumo, the leading reference publication in the retail and distribution sectors in the country, ‘The Best Store in Portugal’ (or ‘A Melhor Loja de Portugal’, as it is originally designated) is an annual initiative that recognizes the brands that most prominently provide the best consumer experience, both in their physical and digital channels.
The evaluation process is entirely centered on the consumer’s voice: the assessment criteria encompass service, trust, innovation, convenience, value for money, and overall satisfaction. This model ensures that the award genuinely reflects market perception rather than merely the brands’ internal metrics.
Over the years, this recognition has become an indispensable barometer for national retail, tracking the evolution of consumer habits and signaling the trends shaping the sector.
In 2026, the initiative expanded its scope even further, covering dozens of categories (from food retail and fashion to technology and DIY) across both channels.
The Awards Ceremony
The 2026 gala, held on the evening of March 11th, brought together the main players of Portuguese retail: brands, managers, digital marketing professionals, and sector experts, in an atmosphere of celebration and reflection on the present and future of commerce in Portugal, clearly marked by innovation.
The growing presence of categories dedicated to online commerce revealed what is already an established trend: Portuguese consumers are increasingly shopping through multiple channels, and the brands that best respond to this reality are precisely those that take the stage to receive distinctions.
The diversity of the awarded categories—more than thirty in total—reflects the maturity and competitiveness of national retail. Sectors as diverse as supermarkets, fashion, DIY, toys, optics, and telecommunications had their winners recognized in both physical and online stores.
This was a night that confirmed that excellence in retail shares a common trait: the ability to put the customer at the center of the experience.
The 2026 Winners List: The Brands Portuguese Consumers Trust the Most
The complete winners list for ‘The Best Store in Portugal 2026’, available on the Grande Consumo website (in Portuguese only), includes reference brands across multiple sectors. Among the highlights of this edition, we find names such as:
Physical Stores
- Parfois (Fashion Accessories);
- Gold Energy (Energy);
- Intimissimi (Lingerie and Underwear);
- Staples (Office Furniture and Stationery).
Online Stores
- Fnac (Books, Culture & Leisure);
- IKEA (Furniture);
- Decathlon (Sports Clothing & Equipment);
- Worten (Consumer Electronics).
There are, however, two names that particularly deserve special mention, and not just because they are UniK SEO clients:
El Corte Inglés
El Corte Inglés was crowned winner in two distinct categories in the online store format: Fashion Accessories and Toys.
This double achievement reflects the brand’s consistent investment in its digital presence and the quality of its online shopping experience, two pillars that UniK SEO has actively helped strengthen.
LEROY MERLIN
LEROY MERLIN won in the DIY & Gardening category, also as an online store, consolidating its leadership position in an increasingly competitive sector.
UniK SEO’s team is greatly rejoiced by this outcome, as we work closely with the brand to maximize its organic visibility in search engines.
UniK SEO is Portugal’s Biggest Retail Awards’ Official Partner
As mentioned earlier, UniK SEO attended the ceremony as an official partner. For us, this involvement goes far beyond a simple sponsorship, representing a genuine alignment with the values this award upholds: excellence, innovation, and a focus on customer experience.
Representing our SEO agency were co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Greg Lacan (pictured below), and Senior SEO Strategist and Analyst, Luís Inverno.
Standing together with brands like El Corte Inglés and LEROY MERLIN on the night they received their awards was, without question, a moment of utmost fulfillment for our entire team.
Collaborating with major brands and seeing them receive recognition from their own consumers is the best proof that a well-executed e-commerce SEO strategy has a real impact on business outcomes, and this award serves as a clear validation of the hard work we’ve put in day in and day out.
What Does It Mean to Be Chosen ‘The Best Store in Portugal?’ Lessons to Be Learned for Digital Commerce
The winners of this edition all share one trait: a clear commitment to omnichannel marketing. Being recognized as one of Portugal’s best online stores is not the result of a one-off decision, but of a continuous investment in the customer’s digital experience (from website navigation to the checkout process), content relevance, and search engine visibility.
This is where SEO plays a decisive role. Brands can have the best product on the market, but if their website does not show in AI overviews or at the top of Google, Bing, or other search engine results pages (SERPs) when consumers perform a quick lookup, they miss an opportunity to be found.
That is the precise moment we deploy our e-commerce SEO and content marketing efforts to ensure brands are found in the right place at the right time.
It is worth emphasizing, however, that organic visibility is just one piece of the puzzle; ‘The Best Store in Portugal 2026’ winners proved that trust, service, and experience consistency (both in physical and online stores) are decisive factors in building customer loyalty.
The brands that invest in regular SEO audits, a solid local SEO strategy, and genuinely useful content for consumers are the ones that, with each passing year, take the awards stage by storm.
For SMEs inspired by this initiative, the message is clear: the gap between a local store and one of Portugal’s top stores is largely influenced by the effectiveness of the digital strategy, and that is precisely what our SEO for SMEs service was designed for.
The 2026 edition of ‘The Best Store in Portugal’ has reaffirmed what we already knew: Portuguese retail is evolving at an impressive pace, and the brands that successfully combine operational excellence with a strong digital presence are the ones leading the market.
UniK SEO is proud to be part of this journey as a partner and agency, and as a privileged witness to a truly special event.
Do you envision your business being celebrated with awards one day? It’s not just the “big brands” that achieve such recognition—before they were “big,” they started from scratch, just like you.
With that in mind, if you’d like to start mapping out your path to success today, book a free SEO consultation with us, so we can tell you straightforwardly what we can do for you and your business as far as your online presence is concerned.
When you win, so do we. Plus, we get to party together!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the ‘The Best Store in Portugal’ award?
It is an annual distinction promoted by Grande Consumo, recognizing the best-performing brands in terms of shopping experience, personally assessed by Portuguese consumers in both the physical and online store formats.
Who were the winners of ‘The Best Store in Portugal 2026?’
Among this year’s highlights are El Corte Inglés (winner in the Fashion Accessories and Toys categories as an online store), LEROY MERLIN (DIY & Gardening, also as an online store), Fnac, IKEA, and Decathlon, among many others.
Which are the best online stores in Portugal in 2026?
According to the ‘The Best Store in Portugal 2026’ Awards, the best online stores include El Corte Inglés, LEROY MERLIN (both UniK SEO clients), IKEA, Worten, Decathlon, and MO, among other brands recognized in their respective categories.
How can an online store improve its visibility and be recognized in the Portuguese market?
Through a consistent e-commerce SEO strategy (including technical optimization, content marketing, link building, and regular audits), online stores can increase their organic visibility, attract more qualified traffic, and improve the user experience, all of which are decisive factors in consumer recognition.
What does “omnichannel” mean, and why is it important for Portuguese retail?
“Omnichannel” refers to the unified integration between a brand’s physical and digital channels, ensuring a consistent shopping experience at every touchpoint. In 2026, the winners of ‘The Best Store in Portugal’ confirmed that brands with a solid omnichannel strategy are the ones that best build loyalty among Portuguese consumers.
