DinoSol
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSpanish supermarket group operating HiperDino and related grocery formats across the Canary Islands.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
DinoSol, formally Dinosol Supermercados S.L., is a Spanish supermarket group whose business is concentrated in the Canary Islands. The company is best known to consumers through the HiperDino brand, supported by a portfolio of supermarket, neighborhood-store, tourist-area and convenience formats. As described in reference material, the group had more than 200 locations and over 6,000 employees in 2024, making it a significant regional retailer rather than a nationwide Spanish chain. The business traces its commercial origins to 1978, when the Domínguez brothers established the HiperDino brand. In 1996, the then three-store operation was sold to Vista Capital, an investment vehicle in which Banco Santander participated. Vista Capital changed the stores' branding to Superdiplo. The supermarkets subsequently passed to the Dutch multinational Ahold, which restored the HiperDino name. Following Ahold's substantial losses, the business was sold to the English private-equity firm Permira. Under Permira, the wider group was renamed Dinosol SL. The ownership and financial structure became particularly difficult in the early 2010s. By 2011, DinoSol's debt had reportedly exceeded 400 million euros, and the company came under the control of a large group of banks. In 2012, Canary Islands shareholders, including members of the Domínguez family and Javier Puga, acquired the company and re-established a locally oriented ownership structure. DinoSol also agreed that year to sell the SuperSol chain to Agile Finance. After the 2012 change of control, management returned to a retail strategy centered on low prices, promotional activity and competitive pricing for locally relevant products. The approach was explicitly linked to the economic conditions of the islands, including high unemployment. Reference material states that the recovery of market share was rapid and that the company was generating more than 1,000 jobs one year after the acquisition. In 2015, HiperDino received a national customer-satisfaction award from the consultancy Stiga, based on assessments by supermarket customers. DinoSol's current portfolio spans large HiperDino supermarkets and hypermarkets, smaller SuperDino neighborhood stores, HiperDino Express outlets in tourist areas, the EcoDino10 ecological supermarket concept and DinoShop convenience stores located at BP service stations. The group has also expanded beyond conventional grocery retail: in 2019, Liga Canaria de Esports S.L., focused on live events, online competitions, digital entertainment, software, audiovisual production and technology projects, was established as part of Grupo DinoSol. This indicates an investment in adjacent digital and entertainment activities, although grocery retail remains the group's core business. DinoSol's competitive identity is therefore regional, value-oriented and locally embedded. Its scale comes from a multi-format network adapted to island neighborhoods, tourist zones and fuel-station convenience, while its operating model emphasizes affordability, promotions and products relevant to Canary Islands consumers.
History
DinoSol's roots lie in the HiperDino supermarket brand, established in 1978 by the Domínguez brothers in the Canary Islands. The chain initially developed as a regional grocery business. By 1996, it consisted of three stores and was sold to Vista Capital, an investment vehicle in which Banco Santander participated. The new owner renamed the stores Superdiplo, beginning a period in which the business operated under different ownership and brand identities. The supermarkets were later acquired by Ahold, the Dutch multinational retailer. Ahold restored the HiperDino name, but the parent company experienced serious losses and subsequently sold the business to Permira, an English private-equity firm. Under Permira's ownership, the wider group adopted the name Dinosol SL. The succession of owners and branding changes connected the Canary Islands retailer to larger investment and international retail groups while leaving its principal regional market unchanged. The group faced a severe financial crisis by 2011. Its debt was reported to have risen above 400 million euros, after which control passed to a broad group of banks. In 2012, a locally based shareholder group led by José Abraham Domínguez, Andrés Domínguez and Javier Puga acquired DinoSol. The transaction marked a return to Canary Islands ownership and was accompanied by the sale of the SuperSol chain to Agile Finance. The post-2012 owners and managers revived a strategy associated with the company's earlier development: low prices, competitive promotions and a focus on products relevant to local consumers. The strategy was designed for an island society experiencing high unemployment and sought to restore DinoSol's market position through affordability and local embeddedness. Reference material reports that the approach quickly improved performance, with the group regaining market share and generating more than 1,000 jobs one year after the acquisition. In 2015, HiperDino received a national customer-satisfaction award from Stiga, a consultancy that based the recognition on supermarket customer evaluations. The award provided external recognition of the group's recovery and consumer-facing service proposition. DinoSol subsequently operated through several formats. HiperDino serves as the large supermarket and hypermarket banner, while SuperDino is designed for smaller neighborhood locations. HiperDino Express addresses compact stores in tourist areas. The group also includes EcoDino10, an ecological supermarket format, and DinoShop stores located within BP fuel stations. This portfolio allows the business to address different shopping missions, from full grocery trips to neighborhood, tourist and convenience purchases. In 2019, Liga Canaria de Esports S.L. was established as part of Grupo DinoSol. The entity's activities include live events, online competitions, digital entertainment, software development, audiovisual production and technology projects, representing an extension into adjacent digital and entertainment activities. By 2024, Grupo DinoSol was reported to have more than 200 locations across the Canary Islands and more than 6,000 employees. Its history is consequently defined by regional origins, multiple ownership changes, a major debt crisis, local reacquisition and subsequent expansion through a multi-format retail network.
- 2024
Regional network exceeds 200 locations
[1]Grupo DinoSol is reported to operate more than 200 locations and employ over 6,000 people across the Canary Islands.
- 2019
Expansion into esports and digital entertainment
[1]Liga Canaria de Esports S.L. is established as part of Grupo DinoSol.
- 2015
Customer-satisfaction award
[1]Stiga gives HiperDino a national customer-satisfaction award based on supermarket-customer assessments.
- 2012
Local shareholders acquire DinoSol
[1]Canary Islands shareholders led by José Abraham Domínguez, Andrés Domínguez and Javier Puga acquire the group.
- 2012
SuperSol sale
[1]DinoSol agrees to sell the SuperSol chain to Agile Finance.
- 2011
Debt crisis and bank control
[1]DinoSol's debt reportedly exceeds 400 million euros, and the company comes under the control of a large group of banks.
- 1996
Sale to Vista Capital
[1]The three-store HiperDino operation is sold to Vista Capital, which renames the stores Superdiplo.
- 1978
HiperDino is established
[1]The Domínguez brothers establish the HiperDino supermarket brand in the Canary Islands.
Products and positioning
A Canary Islands-focused, value-oriented supermarket group combining low prices, frequent promotions and local-market relevance across multiple store formats.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets · 1978
HiperDino
HiperDino is DinoSol's principal retail banner and covers larger supermarkets and hypermarkets. These stores provide a broad grocery assortment and are positioned around competitive prices, promotional activity and products relevant to Canary Islands households. The banner is the successor to the original HiperDino identity established in 1978 and remains the group's best-known consumer-facing format.
Neighborhood supermarkets
SuperDino
SuperDino consists of relatively small neighborhood supermarkets with a more limited assortment than the group's larger HiperDino locations. The format is designed for convenient local shopping and extends DinoSol's presence into residential areas where consumers may prefer frequent, nearby grocery trips rather than larger stock-up visits.
Tourist-area convenience supermarkets
HiperDino Express
HiperDino Express is a compact supermarket format located in tourist areas of the Canary Islands. It adapts the HiperDino proposition to visitors and smaller-footprint locations, emphasizing convenient access to groceries and everyday products in destinations where shopping patterns differ from those of residential neighborhoods.
Ecological supermarket
EcoDino10
EcoDino10 is DinoSol's ecological supermarket concept. The format broadens the group's offer toward ecological and environmentally oriented products while retaining its connection to the regional store network. Available reference material identifies the concept but does not provide a detailed account of its assortment, store count or operating model.
Fuel-station convenience stores
DinoShop
DinoShop stores operate inside BP gas stations and serve convenience-shopping needs associated with travel and vehicle refueling. They provide DinoSol with a small-format presence outside conventional supermarket locations. The available material does not specify the precise product range or number of DinoShop outlets.
Brand decisions
2019
Entry into esports and digital entertainmentStrategyBackground
Grupo DinoSol expanded its activities beyond supermarket retail.
Action taken
Liga Canaria de Esports S.L. was established as part of the group, with activities spanning live events, online competitions, digital entertainment, software, audiovisual production and technology projects.
Aftermath
The move created an affiliated platform for digital and entertainment activities, although grocery retail remained DinoSol's core business.
2012
Acquisition by Canary Islands shareholdersM&ABackground
DinoSol was carrying substantial debt and had come under the control of a group of banks after its financial difficulties.
Action taken
A locally based shareholder group led by José Abraham Domínguez, Andrés Domínguez and Javier Puga acquired the company.
Aftermath
The new owners returned the business to a locally oriented strategy focused on low prices, promotions and local products. The group subsequently reported recovered market share and more than 1,000 jobs one year after the acquisition.
2012
Sale of the SuperSol chain to Agile FinanceM&ABackground
The sale occurred during the restructuring of DinoSol following its change in ownership.
Action taken
DinoSol agreed to sell the SuperSol chain to Agile Finance.
Aftermath
The transaction separated the SuperSol chain from the restructured DinoSol group.
Sources1 sources
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