Barcelona to open an affordable grocery store in Prat Vermell in 2027
Mayor Jaume Collboni announces a network of affordable grocery stores in Barcelona, with a pilot scheme in 2027 in the Prat Vermell district, run by a third-sector NGO.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Collboni announces affordable grocery stores: pilot in 2027 in Prat Vermell
Barcelona already has a network of municipal markets. And yet its mayor has now announced a network of affordable grocery stores. Jaume Collboni presented the project as a replica of the public supermarkets that, according to him, will start operating in New York next year: a pilot scheme in Barcelona in 2027, in the Marina del Prat Vermell neighbourhood, in a municipally owned building whose management will be entrusted to an NGO or third-sector organisation.
What the mayor has detailed and what remains unclear
The announcement comes with a headline but no specifics. According to the mayor, the project aims to guarantee access to affordable fresh produce and includes a training programme linked to the store. What is still unknown is how it will be funded, at what prices it will sell, how the managing organisation will be chosen, or what criteria will decide who can shop there.
Municipal markets already exist and they are not free
The first objection is common sense: Barcelona already has municipal markets. And a concession there is no bargain, according to one debate participant: he claims that in Zaragoza the smallest stall costs 50,000 euros in 50-year concessions, plus around 100 euros a month, with the stall fitting-out and electricity paid by the concession holder, and he estimates the figure would be higher in Barcelona. These are unverified calculations by a user.
Suspicions of cronyism and unpaid training labour
The point that raises most misgivings in the debate is the management model. One participant argues that hunger is a tool of social control and that the grocery stores will end up being for the party in power; another sees the training programme as a way to cut costs with students serving customers unpaid. Neither suspicion is backed by data. The project is also compared with Venezuela and Cuba, and Venezuela's CLAP food boxes are mentioned.
The question hanging over the debate is whether an affordable grocery store is needed when Barcelona already has neighbourhood markets.
Barcelona already has a network of municipal markets. And yet its mayor has now announced a network of affordable grocery stores. Jaume Collboni presented the project as a replica of the public supermarkets that, according to him, will start operating in New York next year: a pilot scheme in Barcelona in 2027, in the Marina del Prat Vermell neighbourhood, in a municipally owned building whose management will be entrusted to an NGO or third-sector organisation.
What the mayor has detailed and what remains unclear
The announcement comes with a headline but no specifics. According to the mayor, the project aims to guarantee access to affordable fresh produce and includes a training programme linked to the store. What is still unknown is how it will be funded, at what prices it will sell, how the managing organisation will be chosen, or what criteria will decide who can shop there.
Municipal markets already exist and they are not free
The first objection is common sense: Barcelona already has municipal markets. And a concession there is no bargain, according to one debate participant: he claims that in Zaragoza the smallest stall costs 50,000 euros in 50-year concessions, plus around 100 euros a month, with the stall fitting-out and electricity paid by the concession holder, and he estimates the figure would be higher in Barcelona. These are unverified calculations by a user.
Suspicions of cronyism and unpaid training labour
The point that raises most misgivings in the debate is the management model. One participant argues that hunger is a tool of social control and that the grocery stores will end up being for the party in power; another sees the training programme as a way to cut costs with students serving customers unpaid. Neither suspicion is backed by data. The project is also compared with Venezuela and Cuba, and Venezuela's CLAP food boxes are mentioned.
The question hanging over the debate is whether an affordable grocery store is needed when Barcelona already has neighbourhood markets.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (44 replies).
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