Local commerce in the heart of Málaga adapts to visitors: express formats and tourist-oriented shops are proliferating alongside local ones.
Central Málaga is experiencing a boom in supermarkets aimed at tourists. In just a few weeks, two Carrefour City stores have opened, one on Martínez Street and another in the former San Agustín tea house, along with the one on Nueva Street, very close to the one already operating in Plaza de la Constitución. All operate as franchises.
The Mas Group, which has integrated Maskom supermarkets since the beginning of the year, has opened nearly a dozen establishments in the last two or three years, including those in Plaza del Teatro, Duque de Rivas, Alameda de Colón, Victoria Street, and Cuarteles, some in Mas & Go format with prepared meals. According to Diario Sur, there are already at least fifty supermarkets and minimarkets in the central area of the capital.
DT stores have also emerged, owned by a Vietnamese businessman, with locations on Álamos Street, Paseo de Santa Isabel, Martínez Street, and Sebastián Souviron. Their appeal is a brightly coloured sign that reads 'Supermarket. Drinks, alcohol, souvenirs', and while they clearly target foreign customers, their workers claim that local customers also frequent the stores.
The profile of the tourist buyer varies. In the Carrefour City opposite the Picasso Museum, the best-selling items are water, especially on Sunday afternoons when entry to the museum is free, along with snacks, salads, peeled fruit, and hygiene products. Employees confirm that it is not a supermarket for locals: one cannot do a normal family shop here, and prices are higher than in larger stores or other locations.
In a Maskom near Plaza de la Merced, which has tables and chairs for eating, tourists mainly visit in the morning to stock up on drinks, pastries, bread, cold cuts, sweets, and chips for a day at the beach. In the afternoon, they make larger purchases to consume in tourist apartments, as Merced is the area with the highest density of tourist accommodations in Spain. The average ticket for these customers can reach 150 euros, according to a sales assistant.
In that establishment, tourists coexist with traditional locals: in the queue, Málaga residents with their carts mix with passing travellers. This Wednesday at noon, Valerio and his friend, tourists from Naples, were eating a sandwich on the supermarket terrace: "We stopped here because it’s close to the hotel where we are staying," they explained. Employees note that many locals who work in the area also use that terrace, including the store's own workers.
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