Barcelona’s markets struggle to survive

Residents of Barcelona, Spain are watching their local markets decline as shops close and fewer customers visit.

In the Ciutat Meridiana and Trinitat neighborhoods, only a few stalls and one bar remain open in each market. Pura, a 74-year-old resident of Torre Baró, recalls a time when the Ciutat Meridiana market bustled with shoppers, but now she and her husband only visit the remaining bar each morning.

Santiago, Pura’s husband, notes that the neighborhood’s aging population and the presence of undocumented immigrants affect spending at the market. Josefa López, who runs the bar in Ciutat Meridiana, fears the market will close completely when the last two stalls shut down. Sheila Ferrer, the owner of the only fruit stand, says young people are unwilling to take on the work of running a market stall, even though available stalls represent a good opportunity.

Ondina Monteiro de Moura, a butcher who has worked in Barcelona’s markets since she was 14, believes the decline is city-wide. She points to new restaurants opening in established markets like Santa Caterina and La Boqueria as evidence of vacant stalls, and says a lack of young people interested in the work threatens the future of the markets. Encarna, a local resident, also expresses concern about increasing insecurity and squatters in the Trinitat neighborhood.

The Barcelona City Council has announced a tender to expand the supermarket in the Trinitat market and is actively seeking proposals to reopen stalls in Ciutat Meridiana.