Marbella Sales are off to a good Start

New Marbella home owners out to make purchases for their first holiday home at the Costa del Sol will have liked what they saw last weekend: with sales discounts of up to 70% going shopping is a pleasure!

Marbella has just become one of ten new cities permitted to trade on Sundays and certain public holidays - with holidaymakers spending more than ever, retailers should finally see much-needed improvements to their balance sheets.

Creating a Home from Home

Shoppers in need of new blinds, curtains, cushions, sheets and knick-knacks like vases or figurines for their new holiday or second home at the Costa del Sol will have been delighted to discover heavily discounted wares across the board.
 
Although most newly built Marbella properties come complete with a furniture package included in the sale and many expats selling off their permanent or second homes with an almost complete inventory of furnishings, new arrivals on the Marbella homeowner front typically want to stamp their own personality on their new residence. Out with the old curtains, rugs and cushions – in with brand new designer chic!

Since a large section of Marbella property buyers come from countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, Britain, Germany and Russia, each nationality will go out looking for items that will remind them of home. Creating a home from home in Spain means wanting to come back to the Costa del Sol again and again, and not be easily swayed by new holiday destinations and tire of the purchased holiday home after a couple of seasons.

This also holds true for those who plan to rent out their Costa del Sol holiday home during the periods they are not using the property themselves.
 
Small touches like matching sheets and a fresh modern look for accessories like bedspreads, curtains and rugs can make all the difference to a second-hand home being let throughout the holiday season or not. But they also encourage repeat business from holidaymakers who want to return next year.

Checking out the Competition

At La Cañada, Marbella’s largest shopping centre, visitors were clearly checking out the competition prior to making a purchase – it pays to shop around, for retailers offering 50% discounts might well be outdone by other retailers selling the same or similar item at discounts of up to 70%. Mothers in particular are out in full force during summer sales, using this period to stock up on everything from children’s clothes to new tea towels, inflatables for the pool and new bath robes.

The ten new cities added to the elite cluster of “shop-til-you-drop-seven-days-a-week” cities include Almeria, Jerez, Salamanca, Santander, La Coruna, Oviedo, San Sebastian, León and Gijón. With Marbella being one of the most important tourism cities in Spain it was only a question of time before Sunday trading would also be permitted in the glamour tourist resort.
 
New Criteria for Sunday Trading

Previously, a city had to have a population of at least 200,000 and tourism figures of one million overnight stay per year record. Malaga City was already in this august group of Sunday trading cities. Now the government has lowered the limit to 100,000 residents and tourism figures of 600,000 overnight stays per year to increase the roster of cities eligible for Sunday trading, which aims to help the economies of those provinces.

At La Cañada shopping centre in Marbella, the Cortefiel clothes store received an estimated 5,500 visitors, according the store’s management, when sales started last Tuesday. On average, customers spent EUR 60.00 items they bought in this store and most people purchased at least two items each before leaving.
 
At H&M, manager Yolanda Jiménez confirmed the encouraging start to the summer sales season, adding that on average consumers spent EUR 25 to EUR 50 at H&M’s store at La Cañada.

At the other major retail group, Grupo Inditex, the world’s largest fashion retailer, parents were able to clothe the entire family for the summer and still have money left over for a fast food meal afterwards.

Sales at El Corte Inglés started as in previous years on 1st July. Marbella holiday homeowners on a budget will have happily snapped up home wares bargains from the Home Basic line, where crockery items are selling at just £1 per plate and chic cocktail shakers are sold for as little as £15.00.