Comertia demands from the administrations a "fierce" defense of physical commerce in Catalonia

BarcelonaThe association of Catalan family businesses in the retail sector, Comertia, has demanded from the various administrations a “fierce” defense of physical commerce in Catalonia, in the face of “unequal” competition from large platforms such as Amazon, Shein, or Temu. In a media briefing held this Tuesday in Barcelona, the president of the organization, Ignasi Pietx, has claimed the importance of competing “on equal terms” with online sales giants that already account for 70% of the parcels arriving from outside Spain.

“They do not have the same taxes, nor the same regulations, nor the same conditions when it comes to using public space,” lamented the also general director of Artyplan, who hopes that their next annual meeting –scheduled for this coming Wednesday, October 28– will allow for the initiation of “a country-wide debate” to decide what model of commerce Catalonia wants. “The debate must serve to decide what commerce we want and, therefore, what cities and what society we want,” he insisted.

In the eyes of the association, the defense of local commerce is a formula to combat the “desertification and degradation” of the historic centers of some Catalan cities. For Pietx, it is fundamental to prevent retail businesses from ending up becoming “a museum piece” and he asks for “more coordination” from the administrations to avoid the end of “a social structure” like physical stores. “A model of society is at stake,” he summarized.

More decisive measures

During the presentation of the program for the upcoming retail conference, the president of Comertia pointed out that cities like Barcelona have been “pioneers” in bringing order to the sector and ensuring equal rules of the game for everyone. In this regard, he recalled that measures such as the so-called Amazon tax, which intended to tax distribution operators for the use of public space, are the model to follow, despite the opposition of judicial bodies.

It should be remembered that the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) declared the municipal ordinance void and that the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) positioned itself against it. On this point, Pietx regretted that the tax had not been “successful enough” in its legal approach, but pointed out that “this is the way forward”.

Similarly, the executive positively valued the entry into force across the European Union of the three-euro tax on packages under 150 euros, largely coming from countries like China from platforms such as Shein or Temu. In any case, Pietx qualified that these are “one-off” actions and that “better coordination” and a long-term view are needed to preserve local commerce. “The vision is currently very short-sighted, we are making patchwork policies,” he commented.

More demands

In addition to criticizing unfair competition, Comertia has also mentioned construction works in cities like Barcelona or "hyper-regulation" as other factors negatively affecting family-owned retail businesses. All these demands will be debated at the next annual meeting, which will be attended by, among others, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni.

Throughout the day, the association will also propose round tables to discuss the importance of urban planning in commerce or the role that artificial intelligence will play in consumer purchasing decisions.

Taking advantage of this Wednesday's appearance, Pietx also detailed that the companies associated with Comertia already have an aggregate turnover of about 12 billion euros and expect to end the year with sales growth of between 4.5% and 5%. It is also expected that the association will close the fiscal year with about seventy members.