A helping hand in Alhaurín

Alhaurín el Grande, the small town in the Guardalhorce Valley, is offering €800 in subsidies to new shops bars, and restaurants.

To encourage small businesses to keep going throughout the year and help them with the costs of opening, the council is offering a helping hand. Alhaurín el Grande suffers, like many small towns, from seasonal commerce. In the summer, Calle Gerald Brenan, the main strip, is bustling with tourists and locals who fill the terraces next to makeshift stages for live music. Yet, come Autumn, the number dwindles, and by midwinter, businesses struggle. 

Despite being far from the more perennially populous coastal destinations, rent and lease prices on shop and bar units are not much lower, and many units remain closed throughout the year. €800 may be a drop in the ocean when considering all the costs of opening and maintaining a business, but it is testimony to Alhaurín council’s commitment to the town.

Money for new businesses in Alhaurín

A total of €15,600 has been allowed for the grants of €800. To be eligible for the subsidy, businesses need to have been set up in 2024 between January 1 and August 31, applications can be made through the council’s website using the secure entry method (Clave, digital key, etc,), and applications must be made before September 30, and the money is to cover general expanses the establishments have.

While not a great deal of money, the gesture will go some way to alleviating the burden on small businesses in their first year.