Mallorca shop rents rise: MÉS warns of closures

Long-established small shops on Mallorca can be forced to close when it is time to renew their leases, MÉS per Mallorca says. The party will take a motion to the Consell de Mallorca, the island council, seeking stronger protection for neighbourhood businesses. It argues that rising commercial rents are pushing out shops that have served local areas for years.

MÉS says businesses linked to tourism and franchise chains are better placed to meet high rents than independent shops. It also says Mallorca’s shops saw sales fall this summer even as tourist spending increased.

The party’s Consell spokesperson, Catalina Inès Perelló, accused the PP of making it harder for neighbourhood businesses to remain open while claiming to support them. She said grants do not solve the problem if the rent on a shop premises rises so sharply that the trader has to shut.

MÉS wants the council to examine ways of preventing what it calls abusive commercial rent rises in the most pressured areas. Its motion also calls for help with business succession, protection for emblematic shops and a dedicated support scheme for neighbourhood trade.

The proposal also targets rules that make it easier to turn commercial premises into homes. MÉS says this should not happen indiscriminately because it can speed up the loss of shops. It calls on the Govern to review the measure and ensure town halls have tools to protect premises on shopping streets.

For Perelló, the issue is not a choice between housing and trade. Streets, she said, also need shops if they are to remain living spaces for the people they serve.

Topics: Housing · Tourism · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com