Newsstands adapt to new uses
Definitive approval for the regulation on the activity of newsstands in public streets, with the goal of guaranteeing their feasibility. The changes mean stands can display and sell a broader range of products and services, but always with the sale of printed media as their main activity. The amended clauses will be valid until 2030 and regulate all newsstands in the city except the 11 located in La Rambla, which are regulated by licence.
The main changes introduced to the regulations are:
- Change to the percentages of products on display. The obligation to devote 80% of display space to newspapers, magazines, books and other periodical publications drops to 50%, allowing more space for other products. The limit of 20% for displaying souvenirs and similar products remains.
- Sale of new products. Newsstands can sell machine-made coffee, unmanipulated and for immediate consumption, as well as other packaged food products. They can also sell water and soft drinks, although the sale of any type of alcohol is strictly prohibited.
- Limitation on public space. Public space, furniture and other elements inside or outside the newsstand may not be conditioned for the consumption of authorised products, including the provision of bars, chairs or tables.
- Flexibility of hours. Minimum core opening times are set at 9 am to 2 pm for every day of the week, although permission may be given to adapt this if the holder requests so, according to the location of the newsstand.
- Greater agility and definition of the regulations. A maximum time frame of six months for the newsstand to change hands if the holder passes away. The regulation also establishes the Mayor’s Office as the competent body for processing fines or revoking licences in the case of non-compliance etc.
These changes come in addition to the activities already authorised in September 2022, such as the installation of cash machines and final mile lockers for the delivery of goods.
Newsstands in the city
The city of Barcelona currently has 287 newsstands in public streets, 51 fewer than in 2018. Of these, 253 currently have operating licences, 25 are vacant and 9 form part of the project headed by the cooperative created by the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD).
The amendment to the clauses was approved in the Commission for Economy and Tax in October, with the support of the city government and the municipal group Junts per Catalunya (Trias per Barcelona), while BComú, the ERC, the PP and Vox all abstained. The new regulations will come into effect after being published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona.
