Puig Brands, the Catalan multinational family group for beauty and fashion, which is negotiating an integration with the American Estée Lauder, three times larger, brings to the table the process of ownership change of local companies that has been occurring over the last 20 years. This very week, the Japanese Marubeni Corporation has bought 85% of Factorenergia, founded in 1999 by Emili Rousaud, former candidate for the presidency of Barça, for 204 million euros. The ownership changes of Catalan companies have not stopped. Between 2005 and 2006, the sales of Panrico, by the Costafreda family, to the fund Apax Partners were closed; and that of Chupa Chups, founded by Enric Bernat in 1958, to the Italian Perfetti Van Melle. Bernat's heirs today operate Casa Batlló on Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia, one of Antoni Gaudí's iconic buildings, which they bought in the 90s.

The Catalan family group specializing in irrigation systems and the production of phytosanitary products MatHolding closed 2025 with a record turnover of 429 million euros, representing an increase of 6% compared to the previous year. Coinciding with the company's ninetieth anniversary, the industrial group has also improved its ebitda –a financial indicator that shows a company's operating profit before deducting interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization– by 16%: it has increased to 65 million.

The State is investing more money than ever in defense. In fact, it had committed to spending 2% of GDP and would have already exceeded it, according to NATO confirmation at the end of February. But when the pie of resources is bigger than ever, the sector is also more tangled than ever. Perhaps precisely because there has never been so much money at stake. "For the last 25 years this has been stagnant and there has been no budget," say a large company in the sector that depends, like the rest, on defense ministry contracts.

Southeastern Spain, one of the driest areas in Europe, has established itself as one of the continent's main agricultural hubs. Despite having a climate marked by minimal rainfall and long periods of drought, this region has become the heart of the so-called “european vegetable garden.” Thanks to state policies, desalination plants, artificial reservoirs, and complex water transfer systems between river basins have been built, allowing vast previously unproductive areas to be irrigated.

"Europe must be strategically autonomous in everything possible, also in the defense sector". The Government announces the creation of a new program to train 400 Catalan companies so that they can enter the security and defense sector. As announced this Friday by the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, the new program – called Dual Technology & Industry Readiness Programme– will be aimed at introducing SMEs that are dedicated to automotive, space, metallurgy and machinery with dual technologies into the market. The plan foresees offering sessions where key aspects will be discussed for those who wish to invest in the defense and security market, such as the various certifications necessary to operate, the homologation processes that must be carried out, and the access routes to state and European contracting processes.

Jordi Muntañola (Barcelona, 1978) has been the CEO of Salvat laboratories for a year. This molecular biologist from Esteve, who also held positions of responsibility at the Werfen group, has placed Salvat in the club of 100 million in turnover 12 months after initiating a major transformation to enhance the values and characteristics of a family-owned pharmaceutical company with over 70 years of history; a portfolio of its own products, with brands like the antiseptic Cristalmina, and a foundation to which it dedicates a portion of its profits. And, moreover, with great prospects, with the acceleration of the third-party production business and the launch during the first half of this year of a new product in the USA, with the prospect of marketing another next year and another in China. Always accompanied by a local partner, the formula it uses for internationalization, which has led it to be present in more than 60 countries. And without ruling out possible acquisitions, a path that the company may incorporate into the 2027-2030 strategic plan, which it expects to have ready this summer.

The Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) has allocated 8 million euros to the new plant of the industrial boiler group Attsu, in Riudellots de la Selva. The company specializes in the design, manufacture, and commercialization of steam boilers, thermal oil, and other pressure vessels.

The industrial company internationalization agency, The Big Move, has signed up former Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, for its advisory board. Founded by Quico Ramió, this company works with industrial companies looking to grow internationally and reduce costs and risks. The company accompanies them throughout the process of opening new markets, from initial analysis to commercial activation, using a methodological framework that integrates analysis, definition, testing, and market development.

The Catalan Finance Institute (ICF), the public bank of the Generalitat, has granted to date 846 loans to young people aged 18 to 35 to obtain the down payment for an apartment. The average granted is 36,332 euros and an average housing price of 189,908 euros with an average age of beneficiaries of 29.4 years, according to data presented by the Secretary General of Economy and President of the ICF's governing board, Juli Fernández, and the entity's CEO, Vanessa Servera.

Grifols is deepening its commitment to full integration and self-sufficiency in plasma production to avoid importing it to countries where blood donations are paid for. One instrument to reinforce this commitment will be the initial public offering with a portion of the capital of the Biopharma division in the United StatesThe company has decided to take this step, announced Tuesday night to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), to strengthen its model in the US. This approach encompasses the entire value chain, from plasma collection to manufacturing, logistics, analysis, and distribution of blood products, comparable to the vertical integration of the Inditex-Zara model. According to market sources, the total value of the business to be listed is between €23.7 billion and €27.7 billion, between 13 and 15 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and could substantially reduce Grifols' debt, which currently stands at €0. The company intends to carry out the operation through an initial public offering (IPO) for a minority stake, which, according to Bloomberg, could raise around €6 billion if 20% of the shares are offered. The company's shares, which had risen more than 8% in early trading, finished 1.36% higher on the Spanish market, reaching €8.96.

Data on industrial pollution in the Camp de Tarragona region improves every year, although during 2025, due to the general blackout of AprilEmissions of one of the monitored toxic components spiked. The power outage that plunged Catalonia, Spain, and Portugal into darkness disrupted the normal operation of the chemical plants in Tarragona and triggered a surge in emissions of 1,3-butadiene, one of the volatile compounds generated by the industrial process. In Catalonia, emissions of this element are not regulated by any legislation, but the Ontario (Canada) standard is used as a reference, which sets the annual average for these emissions at 2 µg/m³. During last year's nationwide blackout, levels of this compound reached as high as 150 µg/m³, according to measurements from the petrochemical plant's own sensors in El Morell. Despite this incident, average emissions throughout the Camp de Tarragona region last year did not exceed 2 µg/m³.

There are developments in the beauty, cosmetics, and perfume sector. The Catalan company Puig Brands confirmed tonight that it is in talks with the American company Estée Lauder, also majority-owned by the family. In a statement to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the group controlled by the Puig family acknowledged that these negotiations are taking place, as previously reported by [the Spanish news outlet]. Financial TimesIn the same statement, the multinational—which owns brands such as Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Byredo, Charlotte Tilbury, and Carolina Herrera, among others—adds that the talks are focused on "a possible combination of businesses with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc." In any case, they assure that "no final decision has been made nor has any agreement been reached." And they add that "until there is an agreement, there is no guarantee that a transaction will take place, nor its terms." The Wall Street Journal Information has emerged about the operation, which would create a cosmetics giant valued at over €30 billion. Following news of the talks, shares of the US firm fell by more than 8% on the stock market. Estée Lauder is larger than Puig Brands, which also has a portion of its capital publicly traded. The US group's value is around $30 billion – it fell to $28 billion on Monday – while Estée Lauder's is valued at approximately $9 billion. IPO

The Catalan group, which debuted on the stock exchange on May 3, 2024, launched at €24.50 per share, a price it has not yet recovered. This Monday, it closed at €15.57, up 3.59%. The family that owns the Catalan multinational, with a 112-year history, retained more than 90% of the voting rights despite its IPO. In 2025, Puig reported net revenues of €5.042 billion, a 5.3% increase, and profits of €594 million, an 11.9% increase.

]]>

The Spanish government is maintaining its standoff with Indra's president, Ángel Escribano. The dispute between the company's two main shareholders—the State, through SEPI, with 28% of the capital, and the Escribano brothers, owners of Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E), with 14.3%—continues ahead of the ordinary board meeting scheduled for this Wednesday. This meeting will take place after the Escribanos attempted to stem the pressure from the Spanish government by shelving the proposed merger of Indra with their family company.

]]>

Indra's board of directors, in an extraordinary meeting, decided to postpone the planned merger with Escribano Mechanical & Engineering SL (EM&M). The decision was proposed by the chairman, Ángel Escribano, who also co-owns EM&M with his brother Javier. With this move, Escribano circumvents the demand from the State, Indra's largest shareholder through SEPI, which had called for his resignation should the integration project proceed. SEPI, the state-owned holding company that controls 28% of Indra's capital, considered this the only way to avoid a conflict of interest, even though measures had been taken to prevent the businessman from participating in the merger aimed at creating a major Spanish defense group. SEPI argued that a conflict of interest would arise if the integration went ahead and Indra acquired a company co-owned by its own chairman. The Escribano family, for their part, have opted to propose to the board of directors that the merger be halted and that Ángel Escribano remain as chairman of Indra. EM&M holds 14.3% of Indra's capital, Ángel Escribano is its chairman, and his brother is also a board member. In this context, the company's shares registered a significant drop, exceeding 16%. The session ended with a loss of more than 12%, down to €50, and a reduction in the company's value of approximately €1.3 billion. The session had already begun in the red after SEPI acknowledged on Wednesday night that a conflict of interest existed regarding the potential acquisition of EM&M. In a communication to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the state-owned company stated that it had conveyed to Indra its "concern about the influence that the conflict of interest has on the analysis of this operation, despite the measures taken to mitigate it." He insisted that any conflict of interest between Indra and EM&E should be resolved before the transaction took place. For this reason, he requested that "this conflict of interest be resolved so that we can continue with the analysis of the transaction and make a decision that is as advantageous as possible for Indra."

]]>

Frit Ravich, the Catalan family-owned company that produces potato chips, snacks The company has begun work to expand its factory in the municipality of Maçanet de la Selva, next to its existing plant. The location was chosen last year, and buildings adjacent to the headquarters were demolished. Recently, the detailed design phase was launched to define and plan the foundations of the new 38,000-square-meter complex. According to the company, the new facilities will guarantee the company's operational capacity until 2040. The company consolidated its growth and increased its investments last year by 14%, to 8 million euros. Part of this amount was allocated to the start of the expansion work. The bulk of the resources were used to increase production capacity, especially for potato chips and... snacksand to increase new technological solutions to improve the efficiency and management of production processes.

]]>

Indra shares led the stock market declines on Tuesday, falling by more than 8% and ending the session with a 4.19% loss at €57.10. Analysts attribute this negative performance to reports that the Spanish government, through SEPI, its main shareholder with over 25%, has requested the dismissal of the company's president, Ángel Escribano.

]]>

For several years now, Liquats Vegetals has been the face of the rise of plant-based milks in the Catalan agri-food industry. Founded in 1991 and located in the heart of Montseny, the company has been the leader in the production of oat, soy, and rice beverages in the Spanish market for almost four years, thanks in large part to its own brand, Yosoy. The company was founded by engineer Josep Maria Erra with the aim of "providing real nutrition," explains his daughter and current CEO, Laura Erra. The founder had worked in the dairy sector and decided to start a business to make plant-based milk, a segment of the beverage market that was still in its infancy in Spain 35 years ago. Furthermore, the goal was to produce products with as few additives and added sugars as possible: "With a logical work philosophy about how we should eat and nourish ourselves," says the group's director.

]]>

Almirante continues to deepen its specialization in dermatology. This is reflected in 2025, as the company quadrupled its profits to €46.2 million thanks to its portfolio of biological treatments, compared to €10.1 million in 2024. Group sales exceeded €1 billion, specifically €1.108 billion, representing a 12.4% increase over the previous year. Total revenue was €1.114 billion, up 12.5%. Operating profit (EBITDA) reached €232.9 million, a 20.9% year-on-year increase, and the gross margin was 64.4%. The key driver of these results was dermatology sales in Europe, which increased by 25.6% to €608 million, the company reported in a statement on Monday.

]]>

French automaker Renault announced on Thursday that it expects a loss of €10.931 billion in 2025, compared to a profit of €752 million the previous year. The company attributed this negative result to the financial treatment of its stake in Nissan. Revenue last year reached €57.922 billion, a 3% increase, driven by complementary automotive brands, all of which grew thanks to the international development plan and the electrification of the product range, the company stated in a press release. It also added that, without the impact of the Nissan stake, profit would have reached €715 million. Renault Group CEO François Provost affirmed that he will work to maintain the competitiveness of the company's plants in Spain, especially "in terms of labor costs," by boosting the production of electric models at these factories. "Europe is moving towards electric mobility. And these cars, as a reference point, will be built in Spain, specifically in Palencia," Renault stated this Thursday during a press conference following the announcement of the group's financial results for 2025. Renault highlighted the resilience of its results in the current economic climate and indicated that it will unveil its industrial strategy for the coming years on March 10. Even so, it has already announced several new model launches this year, primarily focused on the electric and hybrid segments. For this year, Renault has set a target of achieving a group operating margin of 5.5% of revenue, in addition to freeing up approximately €1 billion in cash. Thanks to its international development, especially in the electric vehicle segment, Renault aims for revenue growth in 2026, when cost reduction will remain a priority. 2.3 million cars sold

In 2025, the group's accounts reflect an operating margin for the automotive sector of €3.632 billion, €631 million less than the previous year. This decrease is explained by a negative impact from exchange rates, primarily linked to the value of the Argentine peso. Last year, Renault sold 2.3 million vehicles worldwide, a 3.2% increase in a sector that grew by 1.6%, with growth across its three brands: Renault, Dacia, and Alpine. Sales outside Europe grew particularly strongly, by 11.7%, thanks to strong performance in Latin America (+11.3%), South Korea (+55.9%), and Morocco (+44.8%). The company also highlighted the increase in electric vehicle sales in Europe, with a 77.3% growth, representing 14% of the brand's total sales. Hybrids accounted for 30% of sales, after growing by 35.2%.

]]>

An average of more than 500 complaints per day. This is the volume of grievances handled by the economic-administrative courts—bodies attached to the Ministry of Finance—an essential avenue for challenging tax assessments before resorting to the courts, according to regulations. It represents a veritable avalanche of work for these entities. However, in 2024—according to the latest available data—complaints decreased by 17.87% compared to the previous year, reaching 196,442. Conversely, the number of cases resolved, which reached 222,737, increased by 14.20%. The economic-administrative courts in Madrid lead the way in complaints, with more than 33,000; followed by those in Andalusia, with 31,000, and those in Catalonia, with 30,395—the three most populous autonomous communities.

]]>