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Without grand inaugurations and in a difficult economic and social context as a consequence of the pandemic, in recent days two international brands have opened new establishments in the center of Barcelona. These are two openings that were already planned before the health emergency, but which bring light to a moment of darkness marked by businesses that choose to permanently close down.
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The H&M group launched Weekday on Friday, the first store in Spain of its urban and sustainable fashion chain, aimed at a young audience between 20 and 35 years old, committed to social causes and a lover of customization. The establishment is located at number 33 Passeig de Gràcia, on the corner with Consell de Cent. It is a space of about 400 square meters that was previously occupied by Kiehl's and Óptica 2000. The two-story store has a large fluorescent yellow painted staircase as its main emblematic element.
H&M bought Weekday in 2008 and has implemented the brand in countries such as Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Denmark, building a network of 57 establishments. Denim clothing is Weekday's strong point, which assures that 80% of its products are made with sustainable materials. One of its main attractions are the prints made in the store itself, which change periodically. One of the chain's projects, named Zeitgeist, consists of printing new slogans and designs every week that refer to various aspects of current events. The screen printing, on t-shirts or sweatshirts, is done in a workshop within the store. For its debut on Passeig de Gràcia, a print with the Barcelona brand has been designed over a drawing of the city's skyline buildings.
In addition to Weekday, H&M, which owns more than 5,000 stores, operates with other chains such as Cos, Monki, &Other Stories, H&M Home, Arket, and Afound.
A few weeks ago, Nespresso also opened a new store, although in this case it is a relocation, as the Swiss capsule coffee brand has closed the macro-store it had on Passeig de Gràcia, in the old Bulevard Rosa. The company has chosen to relocate to Rambla Catalunya, a commercial hub it considers more suitable as it is more focused on local consumer brands, compared to Passeig de Gràcia, which is more oriented towards international visitors.
The relocation has also allowed Nespresso to bring its latest generation boutique model to Barcelona, which until now in Spain was only present on Velázquez street in Madrid. Located at number 67 Rambla Catalunya, at the confluence with Aragó, the store has an area of 479 square meters, in a space previously occupied by Zara.
According to Nespresso, the new boutique concept aims to improve the customer shopping experience and strengthen the brand's positioning in favor of sustainability and the circular economy. "The store allows the customer to immerse themselves in an enveloping experience around coffee through sequenced areas and new architectural codes that generate a welcoming and quality atmosphere. All this in coherence with our commitment to sustainability that leads us to incorporate systems in the boutique that reduce energy consumption, as well as collection points that facilitate capsule recycling for the consumer," explains Thomas Reuter, general director of Nespresso Spain. The executive emphasizes that "the brand has always been very linked to Barcelona," where it now has a network of twelve points of sale.
The Nespresso store in Rambla Catalunya allows online purchases to be picked up within two hours and is also the preparation center for orders placed by Barcelona customers who want to receive them at home the same day.
Across Spain, Nespresso has 72 stores and more than 800 internationally. The Spanish network is managed by the Catalan company Daba, which is responsible for investing in the boutiques and hiring staff. Daba is also the only company authorized to distribute and sell Nespresso capsules in the Spanish market through all sales channels. This company is owned by the Cobega group, of the Daurella family, the main shareholder of the European bottler Coca-Cola European Partners.