Post by pigeonpie on Oct 27, 2009 16:34:05 GMT
Supermarket chain decides against opening in Menorca
For almost six years the supermarket chain Mercadona, which has 1,236 outlets in 46 provinces, has been trying to expand into Menorca and had, according to some sources, even reached the stage of selecting properties in Maó and Ciutadella. However, the company’s attempts have been frustrated by recent legislation introduced to control the commercial sector in the Balearic Islands.
Restrictions have been imposed on the size of new outlets and their location - new supermarkets will not be allowed on the industrial estates but will have to be sited within town boundaries in an effort to breathe new life into the island’s towns. According to a spokesman for Mercadona, these limitations will mean that neither his company nor any other will be able to open branches on the island. The manager of Hiper Centro in Menorca, Fernando López, also spoke out against the restrictions, questioning the likelihood of finding a suitable plot of urban land that would meet both legal and the company’s requirements.
Customers have also expressed their concern over whether there will be adequate parking near supermarkets in the towns and voicing their disappointment that they will miss out on the lower prices and a greater variety of goods that the arrival of the large chains would have brought.
Sunday opening debate re-opened
With the approach of November the hypermarkets will no longer be able to open on Sundays, a situation which the outlets affected are trying to change by demanding they be allowed to open on Sundays (and public holidays) throughout the year and not only during the tourist season (officially recognised as running from 15th March to 31st October).
It is calculated that between 8% and 12% of the large supermarkets’ business is conducted on Sunday mornings and that the combined sales for those opening on the Maó and Sant Lluís industrial estates (Hiper Centro, Hiper Clement and Eroski) could exceed 100,000 euros every Sunday, representing a large part of their trade.
In defence of their demand to be allowed to trade on Sundays, the management of the hypermarkets say that it creates jobs and that, otherwise, they will have to make cuts in personnel as from 1st November. They also point out that outlets in Palma and Ibiza are permitted to open on Sundays all year.
Referring to the debate as “delicate”, the Councillor for Economy and Commerce, Antònia Allés, stated that there were points to be taken into consideration, such as the difficulty of reconciling work and family life or the rights of workers to a day of rest. She added that an exception had been made in permitting Sunday opening during the summer months at the request of the Town Councils.
For almost six years the supermarket chain Mercadona, which has 1,236 outlets in 46 provinces, has been trying to expand into Menorca and had, according to some sources, even reached the stage of selecting properties in Maó and Ciutadella. However, the company’s attempts have been frustrated by recent legislation introduced to control the commercial sector in the Balearic Islands.
Restrictions have been imposed on the size of new outlets and their location - new supermarkets will not be allowed on the industrial estates but will have to be sited within town boundaries in an effort to breathe new life into the island’s towns. According to a spokesman for Mercadona, these limitations will mean that neither his company nor any other will be able to open branches on the island. The manager of Hiper Centro in Menorca, Fernando López, also spoke out against the restrictions, questioning the likelihood of finding a suitable plot of urban land that would meet both legal and the company’s requirements.
Customers have also expressed their concern over whether there will be adequate parking near supermarkets in the towns and voicing their disappointment that they will miss out on the lower prices and a greater variety of goods that the arrival of the large chains would have brought.
Sunday opening debate re-opened
With the approach of November the hypermarkets will no longer be able to open on Sundays, a situation which the outlets affected are trying to change by demanding they be allowed to open on Sundays (and public holidays) throughout the year and not only during the tourist season (officially recognised as running from 15th March to 31st October).
It is calculated that between 8% and 12% of the large supermarkets’ business is conducted on Sunday mornings and that the combined sales for those opening on the Maó and Sant Lluís industrial estates (Hiper Centro, Hiper Clement and Eroski) could exceed 100,000 euros every Sunday, representing a large part of their trade.
In defence of their demand to be allowed to trade on Sundays, the management of the hypermarkets say that it creates jobs and that, otherwise, they will have to make cuts in personnel as from 1st November. They also point out that outlets in Palma and Ibiza are permitted to open on Sundays all year.
Referring to the debate as “delicate”, the Councillor for Economy and Commerce, Antònia Allés, stated that there were points to be taken into consideration, such as the difficulty of reconciling work and family life or the rights of workers to a day of rest. She added that an exception had been made in permitting Sunday opening during the summer months at the request of the Town Councils.
