hello, we are seriously thinking of moving to majorca with a view to running a bar, any tips or views,

many thanks

Hi welcome to the forum

I'd have a search around on here for the comments on running a bar if I were you ......... it seems to be a minefield with so much competition

thanks, it seems to be a minefield anywhere in spain lol

Thats what I mean
Everyone and their dog has arrived here with the intention of starting a bar, and even in places like Benidorm it seems some people struggle

Hi there,
we have spent many years in the past in Mallorca, even had our own bar! The advice we were given at the time was - don't! So with the benefit of hindsight and as much as we love Mallorca - I pass this pearl of wisdom on to you. Don't get a bar.

It is a beautiful island, not much going on in the winter though, and even if you do set up in the residential areas, it is extremely difficult and complicated to make a living - especially with a bar.

if you would like more info - contact me direct and I will help you all I can.
Heather

Mallorca is as over run with bars and clubs, and sandwich bars, and Whit Horses, and Queen Vics.......anyway, you get the message.

If you want to be away from the Brit strips then you will need Spanish, and Catalan as well, and it wont be easy.

As has been said, do a search and read up what some people have said, a couple of people on here have had bars, so look them out.

thanks heatherb and rugbymatt for your comments, i would like to ask you numerous questions heather as you have actually had a bar in majorca.as i am new to this site i wonder if we could chat by e mail somehow??? once again thanks for the replies.

Hi there,
I actually included my email address in my posting but it was removed by the webmaster for some reason. If I can help at all - no prob. decipher this address and I will answer all your questions : andywinwood at hotmail dot com.
Failing that if anyone knows how to contact someone direct - please let me know.
look forward to getting your questions
Heather

Guys, here is the thing.


If you talk via e-mail, or PM, all you are doing is helping each other, no one else, and that wont do at all.

It is an online community and as such we are here to help every one else, so talking privately will be a little selfish wont it?

It's not intended to be 'selfish' rather considerate to others, in that if we go in depth into the whys and wherefores it is likely to be quite boring.

However if any questions are posted on this site that I can answer with the benefit of my experience that CAN help other people - only too pleased to oblige.
Owning a bar or come to that living in Spain - the legal way at least - is quite complicated and full of potential pitfalls. I will give you a for instance, in the last two weeks, two of my Spanish bank accounts have been frozen by the Social Security. In the past I had heard of this happening to other people, but in truth had thought they were being economical with the truth! How can an embargo be placed on your bank account with your prior notification or knowledge? Well it happened to me! My gestoria has gone to the Social who say that my Social was not paid three years ago. Which is frustrating because I paid another gestoria (in the uk we don't have a similar occupation) to ensure that everything WAS paid and ship shape. The gestoria that I had three years ago in Mallorca has now vanished and even if I could find them, what redress do I have? It will just cost me more money.

Essentially whilst ever I have a spanish bank account - the social will get what they think they are owed. No right to reply. NO negotiation.

Apart from the legalities of owning a bar either in Spain or Mallorca, the market is very flat. the season is shortening year by year, and whilst it is possible to still buy the trespaso for good locations, the value put on them is extremely high. That is not a good start to any business.

We were over in Mallorca about a month ago, catching up with old friends, things are not good. It is possible to make a living but at what cost. It's not like a British pub where the opening hours are fairly fixed, you have to open a lot of hours to catch the tourists whilst they are there. Some bars do very well, but they are long established and have struck a formula that works.

Its sounds fantastic - work 6 months and take the rest of the year off, but if your overheads are so high that you don't make your money in the summer, you are already into a negative situation.
When we bought our bar, we had been on the island for years, thought we knew at least the bones of what we were getting into. We openind in winter, to get ourselves sorted out for the summer rush. We had done our homework and our bar was fed by two hotels that for many years had been full of Brits from the North East who all had to walk past our bar to get to town. Within a few months of us opening - one hotel company had gone into liquidation, peaked at 6 guests the whole summer, and the second went all inclusive german. The thing about all inclusive germans is that will NOT buy anything, unlike Brits who will, if the food is rubbish in the Hotel, they will grumble but go to a bar anyway. Germans will not. They even expect the sunbeds on the beach to be included.
Our overheads were very low - we bought from the spanish as we speak spanish, but night after night we sat there and the takings went down and down. The last week we were open we took 85 euros. We only needed to take 150 to cover the overheads.

To do it legally, your minimum payment per month - just for Social is 300 per month (one person) if you employ anyone, just one hour a week - its two hundred a month, and if they are full time - its 400 per month. You have a choice of tax systems, modular - this is based on how many tables you have and square meterage. If you go this way, you have to pay the agreed tax bill whether you make money or not. If you go the other way, it is based on your income/expenditure but be careful because you can't always get an invoice which has to have your NIF number on it or the persons number you bought from on it. Like everything there are ways around things, but it is a full time job, sorting out the paperwork.
Spot checks are made by the Social, the Sanitaria and others. They will close you down in an instant.
There are so many issues regarding music it is untrue. Recently here in Costa Blanca, there was a change of mayor in a particular town, who promised to make things easier (??) for the bars. Within days, a number of bars were banned from music, in some cases just because they had to go and get a new piece of paper from the Town Hall, as there had been a change of Mayor!

I don't want to put a complete downer on it - but do your homework first.

HI HEATHER

MY HUSAND AND I ARE WANTING TO MOVE TO MAJORCA WITH OUR TWO BOYS.
DO U HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ME

Ive copied this from another one of my posts as it`s equaly applicable:



If you can make a good living from a bar in Spain you are one in a thousand ,fact! ,If you really really really want a bar and find one dont part with a penny until you have worked there with the current owner for at least a month , it`s the only way you will get to know the REAL turnover , then do some cash flow forecasts, you will then realise it is a waste of time, fantasy business`s have a habit of becoming a nightmare!!
If a bar is closed down its only worth the fixtures and fittings value, usually a couple hundred euro!!then youve got weeks/months of waiting to get licenses etc!!

Dont forget that you would be competing with Spanish who proberly own the bar with no mmortgage they employ their family and pay them next to nowt!

The only way youd stand a chance in this industry is if you are an exceptional chef and have a bar restaurant even then not easy or guaranteed successful!
Rgds

Rotor

ever felt like we just repeat ourselves over & over over & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & overover & over.........................?

Just a bit x1,0000000000000