The high demand for commercial premises extends beyond Barcelona's main thoroughfares. The Born neighborhood has shown a significant rebound, after the ravages caused by the pandemic, which left 40% of shops empty. Now, the availability rate of businesses in the streets of this area has fallen sharply, and the central Barcelona neighborhood only has 8% of its premises vacant.
Likewise, according to data from the real estate consultancy Cat Real Estate, which already has all the premises it manages in this area of Barcelona occupied, rents have also increased by 7% compared to previous years. These data confirm the reactivation of the Born as a commercial hub, not only due to the boost in tourism, which has led brands to want to set up shop in central streets like those in this neighborhood, but also due to the residents' commitment to local commerce.
Recent examples of these new openings include the footwear store Just Kick It, which opened a few days ago on Rec street, as well as the second location of one of the neighborhood's legendary businesses, the store dedicated to cheesecakes Jon Cake, which has inaugurated a new establishment on Sant Pere Més Baix street, just a few meters from its original location.
This commitment to local commerce has also helped revitalize other areas of the city, such as Avenida Diagonal, driven by the widening of its sidewalks. In fact, in some sections of this avenue, the occupancy rate has risen to 100%.
But the reactivation of commercial activity is not concentrated only in these streets, but extends throughout all corners of the Catalan capital. In fact, according to the real estate consultancy, which manages assets worth over 800 million euros, the contracting of commercial premises increased by 24% in Barcelona during 2024.
One more year, the most requested streets and areas in terms of retail have once again been the large and central thoroughfares of the Catalan capital, consolidating streets like Paseo de Gràcia as the most sought-after. This artery of the city, which has repeated as the most expensive commercial street in all of Spain, with 261 euros per square meter---surpassing even Madrid's Serrano--- only has 2% of its premises vacant. Rambla Catalunya, with only 2.6% of empty shops, and Pelai street, with 6%, are the other thoroughfares with the lowest rate of vacant establishments in the city.