The sales are somewhat diluted by online sales after a satisfactory Christmas season for retailers.

BarcelonaThe traditional January sales began this Wednesday in shops across Spain after a Christmas campaign that left Catalan retailers satisfied. However, as has become the norm in recent years, the sales are less pronounced than in previous years due to the November discounts offered by Black Friday and the rise in online shopping. Gabriel Jené, president of Barcelona Oberta—the association of shops in the center of the Catalan capital—described the now-ending Christmas campaign as "very good," despite the fact that rain and bad weather negatively impacted sales on some of the Saturdays leading up to the holidays. Looking ahead to the discount period that begins this Wednesday, Jené stated in comments reported by ACN that it is "necessary" because sectors like fashion "clear out their seasonal stock" at lower prices and prepare items for the following season.

However, the president of Barcelona Oberta points out that sales are currently a period of opportunity, but with less impact on companies' bottom lines than decades ago. "It's no longer the crucial milestone it once was," he says.

In this regard, it's important to consider that a significant percentage of purchases in sectors such as fashion, electronics, and books have shifted to online commerce, which reduces sales in physical stores. Similarly, the emergence of Black Friday, which takes place at the end of November, has brought forward the Christmas shopping season by about two weeks—traditionally it began around the Immaculate Conception long weekend—so the current sales are less significant. In fact, November unemployment figures They already indicated an increase in the hiring of new staff in the retail sector, which confirms the early start of Christmas sales on Black Friday.

The Spanish state textile employers' association, Acotex, expects sales during this holiday season to increase between 4% and 5% compared to 2025. According to the association, most brands will offer discounts of up to 50% on many products, with some reaching 60% or 70%.

Discounts already available on Three Kings' Day

While the Christmas shopping season is just getting underway, the post-Three Kings' Day sales have also started early in some cases, on January 6th or even earlier—a trend that has prevailed for several years. This year, for example, in Spain, stores belonging to the fashion group Tendam—parent company of chains like Cortefiel, Springfield, and Women'Secret—the Swedish chain H&M, and the Galician brand Bimba y Lola already had their sale signs up last week. In the case of the fashion giant Inditex—which manages, among other brands, Zara, Stradivarius, and Massimo Dutti—discounts began on its website and mobile app on Three Kings' Day, but in physical stores, they waited until January 7th. The Japanese brand Uniqlo also launched its sales on January 6th on its online platforms.

Similarly, El Corte Inglés has also been offering discounts since Three Kings' Day at Sfera, its fashion division, but in its physical stores, the sales have waited until the following day. Gone are the images of decades past, when the opening of the Madrid-based group's shopping centers on January 7th marked the unofficial start of the sales, with shoppers pushing and shoving their way in after queuing since early morning.