Barcelona has ended its summer window of Sunday trading, keeping shops firmly shut despite record tourist numbers and growing pressure from big retailers.
Until now, shops in large tourist areas such as Ciutat Vella, Eixample and much of Sant Martí, Gràcia, Horta-Guinardó, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Les Corts and Sants-Montjuïc could open on Sundays between May and mid-September. The measure, introduced in 2022 by the former administration of Ada Colau, was intended as a temporary boost to help businesses recover from the pandemic. That four-year exemption expired last weekend.
Business group Barcelona Oberta is calling not only for the extension of Sunday openings but also for an expansion of the season from four to eight months. They argue that the measure would be a ‘Midas touch’ for both jobs and the city’s economy. In contrast, Barcelona Comerç, which represents smaller neighbourhood shops, alongside unions and workers, warns that Sunday trading erodes family life, delivers little benefit to employees, and puts local commerce at risk.
The standoff comes as Barcelona experiences record-breaking tourism, with thousands of visitors flocking to the city centre each weekend only to find shutters down. By comparison, Madrid liberalised shop hours in 2012, allowing businesses to choose their own festive and weekend schedules without restrictions.
The debate over whether to open on Sundays has become a flashpoint in Barcelona’s struggle to balance tourism-driven economic growth with the preservation of local community life.
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