Zona Franca Consortium Buys Abandoned Vila Olímpica Mall

The Consorci de la Zona Franca (a state-backed consortium headed by the state’s special delegate, Pere Navarro) has agreed to buy the Centre de la Vila, the half-empty shopping centre in the Vila Olímpica neighbourhood, for a little over 18 million euros. Its plenary board approved the purchase Thursday, according to Tot Barcelona.

The seller is Mercasa, a state-owned company. The purchase is part of a larger package agreed with the Ajuntament de Barcelona (the city council) that also covers seafront properties near the Port Olímpic.

A mall that emptied out

Ara reports that the last official count found only 35 of the 83 units occupied, and that the number is lower now. Dozens of businesses have closed, including the Yelmo Icària cinema and a nursery, according to Tot Barcelona. The outlet also reports structural problems from a lack of maintenance, especially on level -3 of the car park, and two open court cases, one of them brought by neighbours who live in the same block.

Ara adds that the centre has had no manager or maintenance director for five years. Documents Mercasa attached to its auction listed groundwater leaks, cracks and deficiencies in the high-voltage installation.

How the price was reached

Mercasa tried to sell the centre at auction in June. The starting price was cut during the sale until it reached a minimum of roughly the level of the current deal, and still nobody bid. Tot Barcelona says the final price is similar to that lowest auction figure.

The city had been negotiating on its own. Tot Barcelona says Jordi Valls, the deputy mayor for the economy, admitted in recent months that pushing the price below 18 million euros was very difficult. In late October, security deputy mayor Albert Batlle told a council committee that Mercasa was asking about 18 million. Tot Barcelona had reported in September that the buyer would probably be the city.

The seafront package

The consortium also plans to acquire premises for nightclubs on the seafront that were left out of the state’s 2020 auction of its coastal properties. The named venues are Shoko, Opium, Aqua, Icebar and Carpediem. Ara counts six leisure premises in total. Tot Barcelona says this zone could later be redirected toward the blue economy, as happened at the Port Olímpic.

The package also includes the Moda Shopping centre at the Port Olímpic. Reports differ on how far along this part is. Tot Barcelona says the consortium will buy it, while Ara describes it as an earlier stage in which the consortium has committed to studying whether buying is feasible. Ara says the complex opened in 1993, that its operating concession expired in 2019, and that the state refused to renew leases and won a court fight with the traders, followed by evictions.

According to Tot Barcelona, the consortium agreed with the State Treasury (Tresoreria de l’Estat) to pay for the purchases over 10 years with no interest.

Why it matters for the neighbourhood

Neighbours’ associations and opposition parties had demanded for months that the city take over the Centre de la Vila. Mayor Jaume Collboni said the deal lets public bodies control what is eventually done on the site. Navarro said the premises have significant potential for transformation. In a press release, the consortium said the activities planned for the spaces will follow policies set by both administrations.

ERC, the Catalan Republican Left party, has pushed for the purchase since 2021, when it agreed with the then mayor, Ada Colau, to set aside five million euros for it. ERC leader at city hall Elisenda Alamany welcomed the announcement.

What happens next

Ara reports that the city has promised to support the consortium in redefining the space, in resolving the disputes around the centre (including the major dispute over the car park) and in studying municipal facilities in part of the complex. Ara also says talks between the consortium and Mercasa now begin. The sources do not give a date for the sale to close.

Sources: Tot Barcelona, Ara