Barcelona City Council has approved the Zara Plaça Catalunya expansion. Therefore, the flagship store at the corner of Plaça Catalunya and Carrer Bergara is set to become one of the brand’s largest outlets globally. On Friday, the council gave the final green light to a project that will see the retail giant expand its footprint to a staggering 5,643 square metres.
Zara Plaça Catalunya Expansion: Building Upwards
The Zara Plaça Catalunya expansion plan, driven by Amancio Ortega’s Inditex group, involves incorporating the building’s third floor. Currently, the store operates across four levels: the basement, ground floor, first and second floors. By taking over the empty third floor, the store will increase its dedicated sales area from 2,324 square metres to 3,779 square metres. In addition, the city previously addressed similar concerns when questions about who profits from city systems arose.
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Because the new sales area exceeds the municipal threshold of 2,500 square metres, the project required a Special Urban Plan. This administrative hurdle was cleared on Friday when the City Council plenary ratified the proposal.
Political Divide Over the Zara Plaça Catalunya Expansion
The approval has highlighted a sharp political divide regarding Barcelona’s city centre future. The project passed with support from the PSC (Socialists), Junts, the PP, and Vox. Conversely, Barcelona en Comú and ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia) voted against the measure.
Raquel Gil, the Fifth Deputy Mayor, defended the expansion. She noted that the project does not involve new construction or increasing the building’s external volume. Supporters argued that the store is already a consolidated fixture. Moreover, utilising the empty third floor is a logical step.
However, opposition parties voiced concerns about Barcelona’s character. Critics from ERC and Barcelona en Comú argued that large multinational brands are eroding local commerce. They claim this causes the city centre to “lose its identity.”
Logistical Concerns for the Zara Expansion
Beyond cultural concerns, the opposition raised practical mobility issues in the congested area. Barcelona en Comú estimates the expansion could attract an additional 1,800 visitors per day. Therefore, they demanded a thorough impact study.
Further criticism focused on logistics. The expanded store reportedly lacks an internal loading zone. Consequently, operations will likely continue to occupy public street space. This is a point of contention for local urban planners.
Historic Building Hosts Zara Flagship
The building itself is a landmark of mid-20th-century architecture. Designed by Eugenio Pedro Cendoya in the early 1950s, it originally served as the local headquarters for Banco de Bilbao (later BBVA). For decades, it was known purely as a banking hub.
In 2013, Amancio Ortega purchased the property for approximately €80 million. It was converted into a Zara flagship store in 2016. While no specific renovation date is set, the expansion arrives amidst a broader retail reshuffling in Barcelona. For example, the iconic FNAC store recently relocated from the Triangle to La Rambla.
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