The city of Barcelona has a commercial density of 1,382 commercial premises per square kilometer. This figure is much higher than other European capitals, such as Madrid (391), Paris (306), Lisbon (214), London (144), Milan (100) and Munich (50), according to the study Commercial Map of European Capitals, promoted by the Generalitat through the Directorate General of Commerce. The report also analyzed the percentage of urban area in which the population has access to a commercial hub within a five-minute walk (400 meters) and the result obtained was that 49.1% of the urban fabric meets this requirement. Furthermore, of all the cities studied, only in Barcelona does the entire population have access to a commercial hub within a 15-minute walk (1,500 meters). Madrid only meets this requirement in 60%, Paris in 34% and London in 23%.
In the case of other cities analyzed, the percentages of urban fabric with a commercial hub within five minutes are considerably lower: Madrid (21%), Lisbon (17.9%), Paris (15.3%), London (5%), Milan (4.7%) and Munich (1%), reports ACN.
According to the Commercial Map of European Capitals, prepared by Eixos.cat and which analyzes the commercial morphology of seven large cities on the continent that together have nearly 20 million inhabitants, Barcelona has a total of more than 62,000 active establishments and also is the city with the most active premises, with 1,127 per square kilometer and 3.65 per 100 inhabitants. In addition, it is the city with the most clothing and accessories stores (4,195) and the second in number of catering establishments (5,698), only behind Madrid (6,797).
The study determines that Madrid and Barcelona are the cities with the most first-order commercial hubs, that is, those that have 40 or more commercial assets, have at least 80% commercial employment and at least 30% of non-daily offer establishments. Specifically, there are 91 and 66 respectively, at a considerable distance from other capitals such as London (49), Paris (40), Lisbon (33), Milan (20) and Munich (6).
Regarding the occupancy rate of the premises, the figures are similar in Barcelona, Madrid and Paris, although in the Catalan capital there are more establishments. In all three cases, the percentage is above 80% employment.
Regarding municipal markets, Barcelona has 39, many of them renovated. It is an offer, the study concludes, only comparable to Madrid's 45, Lisbon's 25, and Milan's 21. At the bottom of the ranking are London (8), Paris (5), and Munich (4).