Eighty-five percent of shoppers at the markets arrive on foot, according to figures from the IMMB, and they spread their spending over a wide range of family businesses, ensuring the survival of inner-city shopkeepers whose livelihoods may be threatened by ‘big box’ retailers in the suburbs. “It keeps people in the vicinity,” said Carnes, adding that markets “protect” the central-city areas and allow them to continue providing a wide variety of services.
At present, the markets employ around 8,000 workers and generate an annual turnover of up to m1.1 billion. IMMB surveys have shown that 69 percent of residents shop at Barcelona’s markets, with approximately 65 million visits per year. They are a loyal bunch of customers too: 79 percent of them always buy from the same stalls.
Critics, however, point to a lack of diversification in many of the markets. Barcelona is no longer a monocultural city thanks to recent immigration from Asia, Africa and South America, but these demographics frequently are not reflected in the make-up of what’s on offer.
Sonia Baluk, a 34-year-old Argentine immigrant, lives five blocks away from the Hostafrancs market, but usually shops at Mercadona or Carrefour. “I think the prices are more or less the same,” she said. “But if you go to the market you spend plenty of time there. You have to go and wait at the butcher’s, and then you have to go and wait to buy cheese and so on.”
Argentine products, such as dulce de leche, bizcochos and yerba mate tea she buys at Carrefour. Conversely, those who work in the markets see the supermarkets as being less specialised.
David Sánchez Ponsa, the owner of Maria Teresa fruit and vegetable shop in the Concepció market, rejects the notion that the markets are not globalising. “Go into the supermarkets, look at their fruit and vegetable section, and then go to a fruit store in the market. I’m absolutely certain you’ll find more variety in the fruit store. There are more and more products, and every day people are asking for more and more different items.”
Sánchez recalled that when the Concepció market reopened, not everyone was willing to pay the taxes required to move back into the shiny new facility. “That year was a critical year. People thought about whether it was worth it to reopen after the renovations, there were people close to retirement who didn’t know if it was worth investing because the business was going to bring in less.”
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