From January 27th to February 5th, those who live in the Catalan capital will enjoy discounts on cultural products, markets, restaurants and hotels throughout the city. The initiative aims at energising the economy at the end of January and stimulating Barcelona citizens to discover their own city.
Car sales drastically decreased last year, with the only exception being luxury vehicles. Less than 120,000 cars were sold in Catalonia, a figure similar to that of 1993. In Spain as a whole, car sales fell by 17.7%.
With this label, foreign house buyers can be 100% sure that the new bought property fulfils all the quality and town planning regulations. The Catalan Minister for Territory and Sustainability, in charge of Housing, Lluís Recoder, announced the creation of an official label recognising the “quality of real estate”, in order to offer more legal safety and guarantees to consumers. Recoder hopes this certificate will help the sector, as consumers will be in a safe framework, from a juridical point of view.
In Spain as a whole housing sales dropped by 38%.New-build apartment sales in Catalonia fell by 35% in August, compared to the same month in 2010.
In larger cities, the new housing stock is much smaller and in Barcelona it is almost non existent. However, in other towns and rural areas the current stock will not be completely absorbed until 2015, according to a study from CatalunyaCaixa. Prices will stabilise in larger cities and still drop by 10% where the larger stocks are concentrated. The Catalan housing market is now in better shape than in the rest of Spain. In Catalonia the new housing stock decreased by 2,000 units, while in Spain as a whole it increased by 2%.
During the first three months of 2011, housing prices dropped by 4.5% compared to the same period in 2010. The end of fiscal advantages for property purchase is the main reason behind this drop. The average square metre price in Catalonia is now set at 2,145.2 euros. These prices have not been seen since early 2006 and represent a 14% drop compared with the historic maximum in 2008.
Catalans traditionally exchange roses and books with their loved ones on 23rd of April. Streets and squares around the country fill with crowds in celebration of the National Day or ‘Diada’.
Compared to 2009, real estate sales increased by 21.4% in Catalonia. The Catalan market’s activity triples the Spanish average. However, forecasts for 2011 are no so optimistic due to the VAT increase and the end of the fiscal deduction for purchasing houses and flats.
According to the Publishers Association of Catalonia, the book sector made a 10% loss last year. Books in Catalan represent 26.5% of the domestic market, 1.1% more than in 2009.
The annual January sales have commenced in Catalonia with discounts of up to half price. Traders hope to sell between 5 and 10% to make up for December's dramatic decline in consumption.
Catalonia has experienced the 8th month in a row of continuous increases in housing sales in relation to the same month of last year. This data confirms the slow recovery of the sector. However, in comparison to July 2010, housing sales dropped 6%.
It is the 6th month in a row that the sales of houses and flats have grown in Catalonia. 30% more flats have been sold in relation to last year, confirming the recovery of the market.
The multinational chemical company, with a strong presence in Catalonia, increases sales in Spain in the first quarter of 2010 despite the effects of the economic crisis in the construction and automobile sectors.