On Thursday, the board of directors at the Mercapalma food distribution centre agreed to requests from 27 of the 98 businesses for postponement of rent. The period of this postponement will vary according to the needs of each business; favourable terms will be arranged for back payment at a later date.
Of the 27, eleven are fruit and vegetables, two meat, ten fish and seafood, and four are from other sectors, e.g. logistics. The ten fish and seafood businesses represent 90% of the total at Mercapalma.
The businesses which are suffering the most are those which distribute to hotels, restaurants and cafeterias. As well as being unable to supply because hotels and restaurants are closed, these businesses had clients who returned stock because they were unable to sell it.