Opening on Sundays is proving profitable for merchants in tourist areas. The balance sheet commissioned by Barcelona Oberta concludes that sales between May 15 and September 15 of last year in the High Tourist Zone (ZGAT) reached 503 million euros. Tourists spent 306 million and residents spent 107. “We have a long way to go, our goal is to open all year round,” the president of Barcelona Oberta, Gabriel Jené, insisted yesterday. The entity hopes to negotiate as soon as possible with the City Council the extension of the calendar at the ZGAT to, urgently, advance the opening on holidays during Easter and the Copa del América.
The study on the effects of the ZGAT on trade, demand and employment – ??carried out by RBD Consulting Group based on 2,610 surveys – yields several conclusions. The first, that 75% of tourists affirm that their purchase was impulsive. They entered the stores because they were open and thus spent a total of 228 million euros. The displaced sale, that of tourists who would have returned another day, represents 78 million. In fact, although the main reason for their visit to the area was tourism (61%), compared to shopping (18%) or walking (13%), three out of four visitors to the ZGAT ended up buying. “These are sales that would have been lost with stores closed; We have to stop missing opportunities the sooner the better; We cannot afford to be left out of the league of cities that open on Sundays; all European capitals open,” maintains Jené.
The report shows a mixed buyer profile: 51.7% are tourists and 48.3% are residents. Of these, 75.2% are residents of Barcelona and 24.8% are from other municipalities in the Metropolitan Region. Despite representing a similar volume in number of clients, the increase in turnover is much more linked to visitors. While the average spending of tourists is 112 euros per day (127 among foreigners and 68 among national tourists); The average expenditure of residents was 57 euros. In this group, differences are also detected: Barcelona residents spend an average of 49 euros on holidays and their purchases are more focused on satisfying everyday needs such as food or fresh products. On the other hand, the purchasing profile of customers from the Metropolitan Region is more similar to that of tourists, who mainly purchase clothing and accessories for the person and, secondly, leisure and culture.
The purchase of 75% of tourists is impulsive and they would not have made it if the stores were not open, while 68% of residents affirm that they would have bought the same thing, in the same area, but on another day. “Only 0.1% of residents’ spending moves from their place of origin and, on the other hand, the ZGAT attracts about 10 million euros to physical commerce that otherwise would have been online purchases,” Josep Maria added yesterday. Marcos, study coordinator.
The ZGAT, which includes Ciutat Vella, Raval, Born, Pelai, Sant Antoni, Gaudí Avenue and the Paseo de Gràcia and Diagonal area, was launched in 2022, after a municipal pact that was joined by, in addition to merchants, unions. In this way, establishments with more than 300 m2 (those with less than this area could already) had the option of opening instead of five Sundays a year, twenty, from 12 to 8 p.m.
“At first there was a mismatch in hiring because everything got underway very quickly, but it has been seen that the more we can open, the more occupancy and the more stability there will be,” warned Jené. The study states that the ZGAT generated between 1,600 and 1,800 additional jobs in the commercial sector last year.
The second edition of the extension of hours, agreed until 2025, had an uneven and very localized follow-up last year on Passeig de Gràcia, Portal de l’Àngel and shopping centers, in the most tourist areas of the city. In the rest of the axes, including Gaudí Avenue, the opening was symbolic.
“The report proves the high potential of the ZGAT, but it must be promoted so that it is consolidated,” maintains Jené. Not in vain, only 41% of tourists knew that the business would be open on Sunday. “We need greater promotion of the measure; We have managed to open for four months, but only the operators talk about it; Turisme de Barcelona should promote and project the initiative to consolidate it and get the most out of it,” maintains Jené.
According to the same study, 53% of residents consider the ZGAT very positive or positive, especially those who went shopping (79.7%). And as for merchants, 63.4% consider it important to open on holidays and, on the other hand, 17% were clearly against it. Yesterday Gabriel Jené was in favor of expanding the ZGAT throughout the city. “It makes no sense that all of Barcelona is not a tourist municipality,” he said, although other merchants emphasize expanding the opening not so much on a territorial level or in hours, but in the number of holidays until they can do it every Sunday of the year. anus.
In addition to the increase in turnover, another of the arguments put forward by merchants is the synergy established with the restaurant sector. According to the study, for every 2.1 euros that a customer spends on purchases, one euro of spending on restaurants is generated. The report states that opening shops on Sunday has had an additional impact of 177 million on restaurants and bars. Tourists spent 121 million euros and residents spent 56 million.
