catroberta

hi all, we are looking for advice, tips etc.my wife an i plus two boys 16 and 5 are looking to buy a supermarket, probably around the benidorm area and to begin with renting accommodation
generally whats the cost of living like and any potential pitfalls that we should look out for
i know this is a big 64000 dollar question and i dont expect in depth analysis just a general overview

un-mundo

To start with, as you suspected, I can't really help! However, I have an apartment in Altea which isn't really very far from Benidorm. The area, most especially around Benidorm, has a glut of "English"-type supermarkets. Even Altea has one, which I went into once and dashed straight out of. To be honest, large Spanish supermarkets in the area have such a huge range of produce from not only the UK (horseradish, Worcestershire Sauce, Horlicks, baked beans, etc etc) but also from many other North European countries - and I'm referring to supermarkets such as Mas y Mas, Mercadona, Carrefour etc., that I'd really have thought that the market was already pretty saturated.

Personally I suspect that people who are now moving to Spain - as opposed, perhaps, to say ten years ago - are rather more keen to integrate a little more into the Spanish way of life. Those that are on a couple of weeks holiday will bring with them what they need.

Sorry to not sound terribly positive about your plan, but I'm trying to be honest with you - there seems little point in being otherwise.

Renting accomodation around Benidorm should be pretty easy - it's taken something of a fall since the kids have (thankfully) moved on to the Balearic Islands for club weekends. It's busy in the summer with lads' stag weekends and the like, and very busy in the winter with pensioners who seem, as I said, pretty well catered for already when it comes to their cocoa supply!

Perhaps you might be wiser to look for an area slightly inland that is attracting British buyers and thus far doesn't have the sort of supermarket that you are hoping to open.

Again, sorry to sound negative. I wish you luck, whatever you decide.

lynnxa

un mundo is absolutely right

where I live, a little further from Benidorm, but still not much more than half an hour away on the A7, the local spanish supermarkets sell just about everything you could want, except for a very few items. We have several English Supermarkets in town, all very expensive, import costs I suppose, which is hardly surprising, though they do seem to add it on a bit too much!

even in Mercadona (a big Spanish chain) English brand items are pricey
eg. I bought some baking powder last weekend, the english brand was 1.30E, where the spanish brand, for the same quantity, was 30c!

when you think of the buying power mercadona must have, compared to an Independent supermarket, you would be facing hefty competetion!

is there not something else you could do?

or choose a different area?

jdr

I go along with the two previous posts, most people change to Spanish brands after a couple of weeks. Why pay ripoff prices when you can get the same or better for much less ?

pwwm

jdr is quite right, why pay British prices, I never buy British goods, mind you few and far between here but I am quite happy with the Spanish equivalants for far less money.
I have actually now lost my taste for most thing British.

catroberta

sorry but i think i have mislead you all, the supermarket will just be like a corner convenience store catering for all, we dont intend to compete with the big chains. just looking to make a living

lynnxa

how well do you know Benidorm & surrounding areas?

catroberta

We've been to the area a couple of times, around javea and denia and Moraira. We were thinking of buying an ongoing business of at least 4-5 years and thought of a small supermarket type business mainly because the hours are so much more adaptable to family life than that of, say a bar/restaurant.

un-mundo

I can understand your reasoning, with the hours involved, but I still think the market is already flooded. Benidorm is a concrete jungle, quite honestly, and has thousands of similar convenience stores. Have you considered going inland a few kilometres? You might find that a better bet, and property is considerably cheaper than right on the coast.

catroberta

Yes, I would certainly consider being further inland, indeed for living accommodation I would not want to be in Benidorm itself, but was unsure as to the trade available in the smaller villages. We have seen a small supermarket up for sale in Moraira and I am quite keen to get more info on it as we throught this was a lovely village, but again unsure as to the amount of trade somewhere smaller would generate. Any suggestions as to other possible areas?

countryboy

Hello catorberta,
I live inland and further south of the big lights of Benidorm, a town called Sax, Alicante Provence, about 25 mins from Alicante airport we have been here for three years. There are a lot of English families now moving inland and some I know will travel far for some English produce.

I also write for and English newspaper called "The Inland Trader" and we carry advertes for several mini supermarkets which cater for the English client, these mini marts are sprining up further inland as time gos on. I think that you would be better off going inland myself. as this is where the market is developing and rapidly so.

It would, of course, mean that you will have to speak a little Spanish to converse with the Spanish client who will visit your store and try anything different from another country, as I see on my travels several Spanish clients in the English mini marts, when I deliver the newspaper to the store.

I do wish you well in whatever you decide to do.

David SR