After a summer in which tourists from almost all parts of the world have once again occupied the city's streets, Paseo de Gràcia is preparing to start the new season by finalizing new openings that demonstrate the good health of the most emblematic avenue in the Catalan capital. Adidas, Ray-Ban, and Ralph Lauren are some of the occupants that are yet to arrive, all of them currently engrossed in the necessary works to get the premises ready. The brand changes are concentrated in the stretch from Plaza Catalunya to Provença. There are also stores that are being renovated, as in the case of Suárez jewelry, with a large store on the corner with Provença.
"Interest in Paseo de Gràcia remains totally intact," says Luis Sans, president of the Associació del Passeig de Gràcia. Renovation is constant in this commercial area of the city, with stores landing and others leaving, and it was only slowed down when covid restrictions prevented commercial directors of firms or architects from traveling to see the premises they wanted to set up in or where work needed to be done. "Some projects slowed down and were put on hold. As soon as it was possible to travel again and things returned to a certain normality, Paseo de Gràcia recovered its vitality and part of this is the interest many brands have in entering," Sans points out.
Ray-Ban is one of them, with a new store at number 6 Paseo de Gràcia. The "Coming Soon" sign has been hanging for months, but it has not yet materialized and enough time has passed for graffiti to leave its mark. It is expected to be the largest establishment the sunglasses brand has in Spain. In Barcelona and its metropolitan area, it has Rayban Stores in the Born, the airport, and the shopping centers La Maquinista and Ànec Blau. The Italian group Luxottica, owner of the brand, has its offices for Spain and Portugal in the World Trade Center Almeda Park, in Cornellà de Llobregat. Next to its new location on Paseo de Gràcia, there is a closed Txapela restaurant and, very close by, one of the few available premises for rent on the avenue, marketed by CBRE and Aretail, on the corner with Casp.
Also very close to the future Ray-Ban store, Adidas is deploying a new flagship store. It will be at number 2-4, just across the street from the one it has today, at number 3. It will occupy one of the ground floors of the Palau Pascual i Pons, a modernist building designed by the architect Enric Sagnier and owned by the Catalana Occidente group, which began its renovation in 2017 with an investment of 35 million euros. With 2,300 square meters, the new Adidas store will exceed the surface area it currently has on Paseo de Gràcia, becoming one of the largest it will have in Spain and one of the reference establishments in Europe.
Adidas will thus follow in the footsteps of Nike, which almost two years ago left a smaller premises on Paseo de Gràcia, between Diputació and Consell de Cent, to open a megastore at number 17, in what was the former headquarters of Banco Popular. Acquired by Hines, the building underwent a deep rehabilitation and has been leased by the American coworking giant We Work, which occupies all the upper floors, and the sports brand, which kept the commercial ground floor, for which Victoria's Secret was also interested.
In addition to Ray-Ban and Adidas, one of the most anticipated openings of the new season will be that of Ralph Lauren. It will be located on the corner with Provença, opposite La Pedrera. It will replace the Barcelona firm Javier Simorra in the 200-square-meter premises. Until now, the American fashion brand had a presence in La Roca Village, as well as in Madrid, Marbella, Malaga and Gran Canaria, with a strong commitment to the outlet.
Other establishments that are being cooked up on Paseo de Gràcia are those of Zimmermann and Nathalie Chandler, which will be very close to each other. On the corner with Consell de Cent, Besòs side, Zimmerman, an Australian fashion brand promoted by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, will set up shop at number 42 of the street, for many years occupied by Miu Miu, from the Prada group. A little further up, past Consell de Cent and next to a Tapa Tapa chain restaurant, Nathalie Chandler, a Belgian designer who will open her first physical store in the world on Paseo de Gràcia, will be located.
Other establishments that are being cooked up on Paseo de Gràcia are those of the Australian firm Zimmermann and the Belgian Nathalie ChandlerThe latest opening already sensed in the commercial artery is that ofLululemon, a sports fashion brand that will open its first store in Spain between Mallorca and València streets, Llobregat side. Accompanied by Mango and Pepe Jeans, Lululemon will replace Uterqüe, a premium brand of the Inditex group that has closed all its stores, both physical and online. Now, its products can be found in Massimo Dutti stores.
Beyond the brands that appear in their future establishments, there is a premises on Paseo de Gràcia that has put up a "for rent" sign, but has not yet revealed who the new tenant will be. It is between Aragó and València, at number 60, right next to the large Burberry store. Rented by Gramar, the premises will be occupied by the Italian luxury brand Etro. In the past, there was a restaurant called Bakery On Time. On the opposite sidewalk of the future Etro, Aretail has just rented another premises, between the Liu Jo and Bimba y Lola stores, but has not yet announced what it will be. A premises a little further up, at number 55, past the old Bulevard Rosa, where Nespresso used to be, is also pending to find an occupant. Further down, there is another empty premises, marketed by Cushman & Wakefield, between the Anthropologie store and the entrance to the Sonder hotel.
Queues and many tourists
Walking along Paseo de Gràcia on a late August morning, one can see how activity has recovered, with an influx of tourists who are not afraid of the very high temperatures of this summer. Queues extend in stores such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès, but also in one of the most recent and popular openings on Paseo de Gràcia, the Lego flagship store. There are always people waiting to enter its interior, which contains attractions such as a replica of the Sagrada Família and a photo booth that transforms a photograph into a mosaic of 4,500 pieces in a few minutes. Its colorful bags then become one more and one of the most common passers-by.
Walking along Paseo de Gràcia on a late August morning, one can see how activity has recovered, managing to recover pre-pandemic figures"Summer has gone very well," explains Luis Sans, also owner of the Santa Eulalia store, "in sales, we are at the level of those of 2019."These figures have been achieved despite the absence of Russian and Asian customers, especially Chinese, key markets for Paseo de Gràcia. "What there is, is more American, South American, and European customers," he points out, which has served to compensate for those who have been absent. However, the president of the Passeig de Gràcia Association emphasizes that the pandemic cannot be considered overcome until Asian tourists return.
The dynamism in Paseo de Gràcia is also seen with the tourists who gather in a zigzag in front of Casa Batlló, where they encounter a risky modern and immersive reinterpretation of Antoni Gaudí's work premiered last summer, but which this year has found a larger audience. Openings in 2022 such as the new Five Guys establishment are already fully consolidated in the street's offerings.