CARREFOUR will open 100 new stores in Spain this year which it says will create 700 jobs.

The announcement comes weeks after its fellow French rival Alcampo said it was cutting 580 jobs and closing 26 outlets in the country.

Carrefour’s expansion will focus primarily on its smaller format Carrefour Express stores rather than hypermarkets, with 46 openings so far this year.

READ MORE:

• Alcampo to close 25 supermarkets to ensure long-term future in Spain
• ‘The prices are incredible!’ Giddy Brit gets excited in Mercadona – but does it dominate Spain’s supermarket wars? 
• Mercadona reports ‘spectacular’ record profits in Spain

The chain has opened 691 stores in Spain since 2019, bringing its total to over 1,600 outlets and representing an investment of €150 million.

The added push is Carrefour’s response to the growing pressure from regional supermarket chains and the dominance of Mercadona, which has 1,614 outlets.

Despite all the expansion, Carrefour’s market share has remained stagnant at 9.8%, well behind Mercadona’s 26.6%.

Lidl and Eroski trail behind with market shares of 6.5% and 4.3%, respectively, according to the latest Kantar figures.

Consumer preferences are shifting towards regional chains with local roots and offering a wide selection of local products, reflected in them grabbing an 18% market share.

Data from the employers association Assedas reveals that the number of regional stores has increased from 3,750 in 2021 to 4,130 today, which is one reason that Carrefour is pushing its Express outlets.

Carrefour’s Spanish sales saw a 1.4% like-for-like increase in the first three months of 2025, fuelled by a 2.5% rise in comparable food sales- an improvement over the 1.8% increase seen in the final quarter of 2024.

MARINAS across the Costa del Sol are bracing for their busiest summer on record, after a booking bonanza that has left some ports completely sold out.

The region’s top marinas are reporting occupancy rates of between 85% and 100% for the upcoming summer season, with British owners continuing to dominate bookings alongside their French counterparts.

Manuel Raigón, president of Marinas de Andalucía – which represents 40% of the region’s marina capacity – said the figures confirm ‘the excellent health of nautical tourism in the region.’

READ MORE: ‘Final parameters’ agreed as UK-Gibraltar team jet off to Brussels to secure a historic treaty with Spain and the EU

“The forecasts for this summer are very positive and confirm the good moment our ports are experiencing,” he told local media. 

“Both the expected occupancy level and the diversity of visitors reflect the international appeal of our coast.”

Spanish, British and French boat owners continue to be the most frequent visitors to Andalucian marinas, with Germans also making a strong showing. 

Other markets include Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United States.

READ MORE: Irregular immigrants with families to be prioritised in Spain’s drive to legalise undocumented workers

The 18 marinas represented by the association boast more than 9,000 berths, stretching from Marina El Rompido in Huelva to Club Náutico de San José in Almería.

Popular Costa del Sol destinations include Puerto Duquesa, Puerto Banús, Puerto Deportivo Marbella, Puerto Deportivo Fuengirola, Puerto Deportivo Benalmádena, and IGY Málaga Marina.

The surge in bookings has been fuelled partly by the booming boat rental market, with most marinas now hosting between five and 15 active charter companies – some ports boast more than 100.

“More and more people, especially younger profiles, are getting their sailing licence and renting a boat for a few days with friends or family,” explained Raigón. 

READ MORE: Streaming giant Netflix announces €1 billion investment in new films and shows made in Spain

“It’s a simple and accessible way to experience life at sea.”

Motor boats remain the most popular choice, though sailing boats and catamarans are increasingly common among families and groups of friends exploring the coast.

The intense summer activity sees marinas welcoming an average of eight to nine boats daily, with some ports handling 20 to 40 vessels per day. 

Most short-stay visitors remain between two and four days.

To cope with the unprecedented demand, many marinas have already reinforced their teams, particularly in areas such as seamanship, customer service, security, surveillance and water maintenance.

The boom comes as welcome news for the Costa del Sol’s tourism sector, which continues to attract record numbers of British visitors keen to make the most of the region’s year-round sailing conditions and world-class marina facilities.

NETFLIX will invest €1 billion in Spanish productions over the next four years.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during a visit to its 22,000 m2 Tres Cantos production hub north of Madrid.

Sarandos was in Spain to celebrate the company’s 10th year of making tv shows and films in the country.

READ MORE:

• Exclusive: Martin Freeman is spotted filming for Agatha Christie Netflix series in Spain’s Ronda
• With new opening, Netflix’s biggest European studio is now in Spain
• Spain bumps up tax breaks to entice more international film and TV productions

The Netflix executive was joined at Tres Cantos by Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez.

Sanchez said: “Spain welcomes and appreciates your presence and your firm commitment to the development of a sector as vibrant and as important for the Spanish economy as the audiovisual industry.”

“When Netflix arrived in our country a decade ago, I think it not only changed the way users watched movies and series. But I think it changed something much more profound, such as the way in which the world viewed our country,” Sanchez added.

He also referred to ‘thousands of professionals writing stories in Spanish that have conquered screens across the world.”

Ted Sarandos said: We have filmed in more than 200 cities and towns in Spain, and there are still wonderful places to discover.”

He said that Netflix had contributed to creating more than 20,000 jobs in the Spanish audiovisual industry.

“The last ten years have been extraordinary and we look forward to the next ten years… and more,” he said.

Netflix vice-president for content in Spain and Portugal, Diego Avalos, referred to a ‘benchmark in inspiration’ for tv series like ‘Money Heist’, ‘Cable Girls’, ‘Elite’ or ‘Berlin’.

He also referred to films like ‘Society of the Snow’, ‘Through My Window’ and ‘The Hole.

“The ‘Made in Spain’ content is among the most popular series along with Korean and Japanese ones,” Avalos proclaimed.