Controversial 24-hour supermarket closes in Barcelona after months of operating without license 

On Thursday morning, the Barcelona city council closed down a 24-hour convenience store located in the Eixample district of the Catalan capital. 

The store opened during the summer and it incensed some social media users as the building where the store opened is the former head office of the Catalan economy ministry and was considered a protected cultural asset for its architecture.  

In addition, the store opened without having the proper license for the business. 

In addition to the main order to cease activity, there was a recent inspection of the store. 

According to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, sources from the local government informed that in an inspection they saw poor functioning of the fire extinguishing equipment in the establishment. 

Because of the risk of fire hazards, the city council decided to establish a precautionary order to close.  

The 24-hour supermarket has the option to solve the deficiencies to try to re-open the store.