The five municipal newsstands in Palma are undergoing renovation. A new company, Kemfactory, has the concession to operate the kiosks, the future of which had been in doubt because of a lack of profitability.
On Monday, work started on the Plaça Espanya kiosk. Sebastián Jiménez Grifith of Kemfactory, who is also the owner of the MDQ coffee chain, says: "We are going to continue selling newspapers. We have always been committed to this."
The viability of the kiosks was in question because they were limited to selling newspapers, magazines and stationery. Allied to charges levied by the town hall, dwindling sales had made increasingly less business sense.
There was a realisation that a wider range of products and services had to be offered. The new-look kiosks will therefore have drinks, ice cream, sandwiches, top-up and telephone cards and ATMs. The aim is to make the kiosks, which occupy strategic locations, more attractive.
Jiménez explains: "We've started with the renovation of the Plaça Espanya kiosk and it will be ready next week. We will then go one by one until they are all done." The others are in Plaça Progrés, Plaça Mercat, Plaça Joan Carles I and the Olivar Market. The two on La Rambla and by Porta Sant Antoni will close.