jackytoo

Suppose so but it is rare for a bar to be either so busy or the spanish buy so many drinks. I have seen many locals sit in a bar or playing dominos and only about 2 out of 8 will have a drink.

Why would anyone want to invest in a business during a crisis. OH kept business interests in the UK when we moved to Spain. Less profit paying for someone to oversee it but better than we would have done starting afresh in Spain.

cricketman

With hindsight it is easy to make the right decisions

Actually during a crisis is the best time to buy a business

The problem with bars in the Costa Del Sol is supply and demand. There are still too many st*pid mainly British people who want to buy them! If noone wanted to buy these bars then their value would be nominal

But as it has been said on here, the business in buying and selling the bars to foreigners is much better than the business in running the bars themselves

And as others have said, the Spanish bars, cafes etc that are "doing well" are those that have no rent and 5-10 family members to call on during busy times. You can't compete with that

jackytoo

I may have said this before but one of my Spanish neighbours was made redundant many years ago, during the 90's recession. He started to buy up empty locales. Never looked back, if business is bad there is always another sucker comes along to take the lease. Everytime a local changes tenancy he has a large cut of the lease fee and usually the fixtures and fittings have been improved.

jackytoo

Anyone ever walked around Fuengirola, Benalmádena in the evening? In some areas there are around 5 or 6 bars next to one another. Most are empty and otheres have about 4 in. They will only take enough to cover the electric.

Domino

tough lot here in the olives
it matters not which workday I go in of a lunchtime the same numbers are there every day, usually the same people, some variations
during school times the local police call in there for bevvie before taking on the school coaches

jackytoo

Most local Police eat and drink free

ShinyAndy

When was the last time you walked around Marbella in the evening? I wish I had a camera with me last night but at 11:30pm the place was absolutely jammed with people, people were even queuing to get into some restaurants. It's been like it for at least 6-8 weeks too, hard to believe there is a crisis and I've certainly never seen it so busy in the 5 years I've been here.

Friends have opened a bar in the deportivo port (loads of new bars opening there and it's generally packed) and they seem to be doing fine. New bars/restaurant seem to be popping up all over the place so there is definite new business activity.

Domino

ours seem to leave some money so bang goes that corruption theory

Domino

it has been said before and will be said again, even on the CDS when being innundated by pissed Brits etc then it is the bestest thing in the world. And it may be hard work for 4 months, but for the other 8 months when all the tourists with their cheap €uros in their pockets have gone home it is a very lonely place.

ShinyAndy

Didn't see any pissed Brits if that helps, virtually all Spanish

steviedeluxe

I mentioned after my previous trip to Madrid (last November) how the bars I saw (near metro Bilbao and also near Metro Diego de Leon) were seemingly busy at various stages of the day. In the cities at any rate, a decent bar will have a lot of customers pop in for just a coffee, or perhaps a merienda or even a carajillo. The coffee may only be 1.30, but the bartender will be constantly taking orders as the regulars pop in for their fix. I suspect they'd go without a main meal rather than miss those coffees. Plus the majority of Spanish will take their drink at the bar (and converse with others) rather than sit at tables - I realise it's probably different at the coast though.

steviedeluxe

I've been told that since May hotel bookings are dramatically up in Spain - this may be down to the poor summer us northern Europeans are suffering. But until you just posted that I've not heard others here say their part of Spain is busy. Maybe it's only certain parts doing well?

ShinyAndy

To be honest it's been markedly busier since Christmas, I don't know what bubble Marbella is in but it's quite nice! A recent trip to Fuengirola and feedback from some friends that went to Estepona and it was like a ghost town with mainly empty bars.

Not sure I'd recommend anyone to actually do it but business does seem to be significantly better

JLFS

Everyone on is an expert in other peoples business, it seems this, and it seems that, but to really know you have to be on the inside.

I know of a bar that takes 65k a month and the owners will walk away tomorrow, if they could find someone to take over the place and just pay the rent to the landlord.

Their takings have dropped over 20% over the last year or so, they need to reduce the staff to even out the losses, but even with the financial hardship clause of reducing the finiquito, it is still not affordable.

The place looks full. looks to be doing fine but the accounts tell a different story.

jackytoo

Everywhere on the coast looks buzzing July and August. Marbella is mainly Spanish at that time of year. On a nice December day just before Xmas the Paseo was crowded...almost every bar empty.

According to the news today the CDS hoteliers say they have been receiving cancellations. One quoted was a funcionario who has changed from 15 days to a week.