Spain’s shopping centres from Costa del Sol to Costa Blanca lobby to stay open every holiday until 2022 to recuperate lockdown losses

Luxury New Shopping Centre Planned For Spain’s Valencia

Luxury New Shopping Centre Planned For Spain’s Valencia Image: EWN Stock Photo

Spain’s shopping centres have lobbied the government to allow them to remain open every holiday until 2022 to reactivate the retail sector and make up for the losses incurred during the lockdown.

THE sector also has proposed ‘extraordinary sales’ without VAT taxes for the first month after the lockdown to kickstart the sector. Shopping centre owners that have lobbied for these measures include Merlin Properties, Lar España, Unibail Rodamco, Westfield and Klépierre, which represent around 500,000 retail companies, employing around 1.8 million employees across Spain.

The commercial shopping centres have recommended various initiatives to kickstart the economy after the lockdown restrictions have been lifted. They seek joint solutions to reactivate the economy with the Government, Ministry of Industry and Spain’s Commercial and Tourism Association of Centres and Commercial Parks (AECC). As well as being allowed to open every holiday until 2022, they also want access to credit for those commercial centres that need it.

Andalucia recently already agreed to allow shopping centres to open on an additional 16 Sundays and public holidays. Shopping centres over 300 square metres in size will be able to open on six Sundays more than they are allowed to at present, once the lockdown is lifted. The modification was approved by the Andalucian parliament earlier this month and will come into force gradually over the next three years. Eligible stores will be able to open on 12 Sundays or holidays this year, 14 in 2021 and 16 in 2022.

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Pepi Sappal

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