The retail association Pimeco has warned that small businesses in Mallorca are ‘dying out’ due to the ongoing closure of shops, a lack of generational succession and increasing pressure on self-employed business owners.
In a statement, the association has warned that the sector is facing an “increasingly precarious” situation, marked by the gradual disappearance of traditional and local businesses, as well as the growing difficulty in ensuring their survival.
Pimeco has pointed out that in recent months there has been a steady stream of closures and business transfers without successors, with examples such as La Veneciana, which is in liquidation; the stationery shop Verd en Blau, which is seeking a successor; or the closure of establishments such as Ca n’Angela or Calzados Marcos, the latter due to retirement without a successor.
The association has emphasised that these cases are not isolated, but rather reflect a widespread trend of high turnover of premises and difficulties in establishing new businesses, which highlights the fragility of local shops in the current economic climate.
Among the factors explaining this situation, the sector points to shrinking profit margins, rising costs — particularly in rent, utilities and staff — and changes in consumer habits, which are undermining the viability of many businesses. Added to this is the lack of generational succession, which is leading to the disappearance of historic establishments, as well as the increased burdens affecting the self-employed, who are considered a key part of the commercial fabric.
Pimeco has also expressed concern over certain recent decisions that are increasing costs and making business sustainability even more difficult in an already challenging environment. In light of this situation, the sector considers it essential to promote measures that improve the competitiveness of small businesses and ensure their continuity, whilst emphasising that Mallorca’s economic and social model is at stake, where local commerce plays an essential role in the life of neighbourhoods and municipalities.