Porcelanosa will open a new store and warehouse in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

One of the unknowns surrounding the expansion of Fira Gran Via has been resolved. The Porcelanosa store next to the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat venue, where the new exhibition hall will be built, will move a few meters away, locating itself in Plaza Europa. Specifically, it will be installed on the ground floor of the complex formed by the Hotel Porta Fira and the Realia Building. Until now, the premises it will occupy housed a somewhat lackluster Barimueble store, especially considering its proximity to Ikea.

The Villarreal-based firm will invest more than three million euros in L'Hospitalet, where it will also open a new logistics center, which currently shared space with the store next to Fira de Barcelona. The warehouse will be on Dolors Aleu street, very close to its current address.

Porcelanosa is expected to leave its current location in L'Hospitalet by mid-November, which is also when the logistics center will become operational, while the new Plaza Europa store will have to wait until February. Once the establishment affected by the Fira expansion is vacated, it will be demolished, thus inaugurating the works that will serve to reach 300,000 square meters of exhibition space, a key element to consolidate expanding events such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and attract new congresses. Currently, at the Porcelanosa store, still in operation, some preliminary work is being carried out, such as geothermal tests and subsoil weight calculations.

The new store in L'Hospitalet will have an area of 1,100 square meters, slightly less than the current one, which has 2,000 square meters. The logistics center's area will also be reduced, from 8,000 square meters to 5,000 square meters. The latter will include the multinational's offices in Catalonia, where more than 60 company employees, mostly sales representatives, will work. There will also be an area for processing large-format materials, increasingly demanded by their clients.

The investment that Porcelanosa will make in the metropolitan city is accompanied by what it has already disbursed to open its first store in Barcelona, with a budget of one million euros. It is located on Avenida Diagonal, an artery that is being reinforced as an epicenter for home decoration and furniture brands, with the arrival of brands such as Ikea, La Mallorquina, Maison du Monde, Dareels or Kare Design.

The tile company's flagship store on Diagonal, between Balmes and Enric Granados, has 380 square meters of exhibition space, spread over two floors. "It is a very emblematic establishment. We were missing this piece: having a store in the center of Barcelona," explains the manager of Porcelanosa Catalunya, Agustí Morera.

The Diagonal store is made up of five differentiated areas that include the multinational's different business areas, which has eight own brands. Thus, products and materials ranging from ceramics and natural or laminated wood to mosaics and wallpapers can be found. A technical area and a customer service area have also been installed.

A turnover of 30 million in Catalunya

Porcelanosa's history in Catalunya began more than 50 years ago, but it was not until 2004 when it opened its first offices, which were located on Avenida Diagonal. At that time, the staff consisted of 13 workers, dedicated to large clients. Four years later, the L'Hospitalet store arrived, which will now be relocated. It also had a store in Barcelona for a few years, on Paseo de Gràcia.

In 2018, the Valencian company's second own store in Catalunya was inaugurated. It was located in Girona, on Barcelona street. Now, with the relocation in L'Hospitalet and the arrival on Diagonal, the group opens "a stage of consolidation," remarks Morera.

Porcelanosa's history in Catalunya began more than 50 years ago, but it was not until 2004 when it opened its first offices

With a workforce of 73 employees in Catalonia, the company foresees an annual growth of 8% to 10%, from which hiring plans in the autonomous community will be defined. These will depend on how the economic situation evolves after price increases, especially for gas and electricity, with a direct impact on factory production. For now, they do not anticipate a decline in turnover.

Globally, Porcelanosa records a turnover of 900 million euros. It has a total of 450 stores, in cities such as New York, London, Paris, and Milan, and 1,000 points of sale. In Spain and Portugal, it has 46 own establishments.