City newsstands adapt to changing markets

Functioning as spaces of congregation around politics, sports, and other news, Barcelona´s newsstands and kiosks are a staple of the city's diverse neighborhoods and cultures. 

Over the past five years however, more and more of Barcelona's 320 newsstands have closed down for good, while plenty are struggling to remain profitable. 

With news media largely catering to digital audiences, the typical newsstand has faced pressure to accommodate the preferences of changing consumer bases.

Newsstands have consequently surfaced in recent legislative debates, becoming a topic of contention between the interests of community members, business owners, and city planners.

In an effort to support newsstands and their spaces on Barcelona´s streets, Barcelona city council's economy and finance committee allowed newsstand owners to allocate up to 49% of the space in their kiosks to non-paper merchandise.

While the change in regulation encourages kiosk managers to further expand on the vending of merchandise other than newspapers, non-paper merchandise is nothing new and has comprised a majority of sales in kiosks across the city for quite some time.

In the case of kiosk owner Darwin, the inclusion of magazines, card games, and childrens toys have helped to support his business in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Speaking with Catalan News, Darwin commented on the rise of alternative merchandise.   "Nowadays, everything related to children, such as figures and LEGO magazines, is selling much more. This type of merchandise is what's saving the kiosk."

As non paper merchandise has gained traction in kiosks across the city, counter cultural movements have emerged looking to preserve the social spaces that newspaper stands have historically taken up.

News and Coffee is a kiosk developed out of Barcelona in response to the loss of newsstands in the city's metropolitan areas and the growing market for a more curated selection of paper media.

With a wide selection of newspapers, magazines, and specialty caffeine drinks, News and Coffee has proven to be a trailblazer in the shifting economy of the kiosk and been successful enough to expand internationally while remaining committed to paper products.

In a conversation with Catalan news, managerial director Gautier Robial commented on how Barcelona’s evolving economy has created discussions surrounding what the role of the newsstand is and how it should adapt to its changing circumstances. 

"We are not the solution for the newsstand, we are a solution for the newsstand, and that's a voice we have tried to bring to the debate, saying newsstands are useful and whenever you are doing something you're passionate about it works. If you hone your craft and do well enough at it you will find an audience that will understand and follow you."

For Robial, paper products are the heart of the modern newsstand, but every kiosk is different and should be able to assess what goods or services can be successful in their respective neighborhoods, embracing change when necessary.

With growing need for services like electric scooter charging stations, bike repairs, and package pick up mechanisms, kiosks and newsstands are beginning to explore new markets as supplements to traditional paper products. 

As ideas surrounding the goods and services that kiosks may offer are mulled over in legislative arenas, the preservation of the kiosk remains an utmost priority to city planners, business owners, and regular customers regardless of potential ventures and business model changes.