Latest news with #Mercadona
Pembrokeshire Herald
28-05-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
The ultimate guide to retiring in Spain in 2025
A big round of applause if you're considering retiring to Spain. Before Brexit, it was almost the norm to retire to Spain from the UK. Well, it was definitely normal for people to have a property in Spain that they'd spend most of the year at, but that all changed for us in 2019. Still, that pipedream shouldn't die – with a residency consultation, a bit of money in the back, and the desire to live the Spanish life, moving to Spain from UK is still an excellent option for people who want to live out their golden years in the glorious Spanish sun. Below, find your ultimate guide to retiring in Spain in 2025 and how to emigrate to Spain successfully. Why you should retire in Spain Why shouldn't you? You've worked your whole life, now it's time to actually live it. For many Brits moving to Spain, retirement is the dream. The sun shines almost daily (don't speak to the Spanish about the constant rain in March this year), the food is fresh, the wine is cheaper than water, and life slows down just enough for you to breathe. The wine is literally cheaper than water, look in Mercadona. It might take a sip or two to get used to when it's €1.50 a bottle, but wine is wine. You don't retire to Spain for chaos. You do it for calm, connection, and comfort. And let's not ignore the numbers. According to Eurostat, Spain consistently ranks as one of the top retirement destinations for UK nationals. The cost of living is lower, the healthcare system is excellent, and even in 2025, property prices are still competitive—especially compared to the UK market. For anyone thinking, how can I move to Spain or can you move to Spain from the UK, the answer is a big yes. Retiring to Spain from the UK in 2025 is not just possible—it's actively encouraged in many regions that are crying out for long-term residents. The best visas for retiring in Spain If you want to retire to Spain from the UK, your best route is the Non-Lucrative Visa. It's the golden ticket for people who don't plan to work in Spain but want to live there long-term. Think pensioners, early retirees, or just anyone with passive income. To get it, you'll need: Proof of financial means (bank statements, pension letters) Private health insurance A clean criminal record A medical certificate Proof of accommodation in Spain And, as always, lots of paperwork. But don't let that put you off. A good residency consultation with a trusted immigration service makes all the difference. So, how do I move to Spain from the UK? Start with the visa. Essential considerations for moving from UK to Spain There's more to moving to Spain from the UK than visas. Before you pack your bags, let's cover the less exciting but very necessary stuff. Healthcare You need it. Spain's healthcare is amazing, but you must be covered to access it. If you're on a non-lucrative visa, private insurance is required. Once you've lived there for a while and got residency, you might be able to access public healthcare. Taxes Boring, but important. Move to Spain for more than 183 days a year, and you're a tax resident. That means Spanish taxes on your global income. Speak to an accountant. Please. Just do it. Language You don't need to be fluent, but learning basic Spanish goes a long way. Especially if you're retiring to Spain from the UK and planning to settle in a smaller town. Cost of living Cheaper than the UK? Usually, yes. Especially if you avoid the tourist hotspots. Fresh produce, wine, and dining out are affordable. Rent and property prices vary wildly depending on location. Residency and bureaucracy Prepare for admin. Spain loves paperwork. Appointments at the town hall (ayuntamiento), NIE applications, TIE cards—it's a process. If you're asking how can I move to Spain from the UK and not lose my mind? Plan early. Get help. The best areas to live to retire in Spain from UK You've got your visa, sorted your paperwork, and packed your swimsuit. Now, where do you live? Here are the best areas for retiring to Spain from the UK. Valencia Granada Alicante Province Murcia Costa del Azahar You've spent enough of your life braving UK winters. Now it's time to do something for you. Move to Spain from the UK in 2025 and start the next chapter somewhere with sun, culture, and a community that actually slows down to enjoy life. Moving from the UK to Spain is the best decision you'll ever make. Ask anyone who's done it—it's worth it. Retire the right way. With a glass of Rioja in hand, tapas on your plate, and the Spanish sun warming your back.
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
French supermarket group Auchan to cut over 700 jobs in Spain
MADRID, May 8 (Reuters) - French privately-owned supermarket group Auchan plans to cut 710 jobs and close 25 stores in Spain as it seeks to adapt to changing habits of shoppers who now shun large supermarkets for smaller stores and online shopping, it said on Thursday. Auchan, which operates in Spain under the Alcampo brand, said it would rather focus on smaller stores and its e-commerce platform. The retailer, which has 23,300 employees in the country and accounts for a 3% share of the retail market there, way behind Spanish rival Mercadona's 27%, disclosed the plan to unions during a meeting on Thursday. "We will face this difficult situation, which is new involving the company, with a main objective of maintaining employment and, if employees leave, ensuring they leave under the best possible conditions," the CCOO union said in a separate statement. The rise of e-commerce has hit the largest stores where people can buy, beside groceries, bigger-ticket items such as home appliances, bicycles or computers, as most of these products are now bought online. Auchan, which operates a number of these giant supermarkets in France and elsewhere, is forced to reinvent itself. The company announced late last year it would cut more than 2,000 jobs in France.
Local Spain
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Inside Spain: Calmness and camaraderie to deal with a blackout
People in Spain have witnessed their fair share of historical events over the past five years. There was the Covid-19 pandemic, the deadly floods in Valencia and, only five days ago, the biggest blackout in Spanish history. Doomsdayers may have expected el gran apagón (the big blackout) to last more than a day, but it quickly became apparent that you don't need more than a couple of hours without power for a country to be ground to a halt, especially if the outage is nationwide. However, if any of you were out and about during this fateful Monday April 28th, you may have noticed that the mood was far from panicked. Despite the traffic lights not working, there was no chaos on the roads as Spaniards drove around carefully and gave way to pedestrians at crossings. Many workers enjoyed a beer in the sun at their local bar terrace and watched the world go by, seemingly grateful for not having work. Supermarkets such as Mercadona, Alcampo and Carrefour took advantage of their generators to allow hundreds of thousands of people to stock up on supplies. Taxis offered to take struggling pedestrians for free or for the little cash they had them on them. People shared the news they got from battery-powered radios or offered up their phones to strangers for them to try to call loved ones. Spain's Interior Ministry deployed 30,000 police officers to handle the potential chaos, but later reported that there were 'no notable incidents', describing it as a 'tranquil night'. Madrid's mayor also praised the inhabitants of the Spanish capital by saying that they'd 'shown the best of themselves in moments of difficulty' and that they'd 'offered a lesson in civility, calmness and commitment'. In other words, there was no burning and looting as is often depicted in end-of-world TV dramas, and as has sometimes happened in real life when the going gets tough. It was a similar calmness that was seen in the very early stages of the pandemic before Spaniards realised how serious the virus was, and the same comradeship and obedience that Spain showed as a nation when it came to the lockdown, mask wearing and all the other rules. Obviously, had the blackout lasted longer, panic may have set in a bit more as the 'every man for himself' mentality reared its head, but in general Spanish society displays far less of that than other more 'individualistic' nations. In fact, a 2022 study found that Spaniards tend to have more of a 'herd mentality' rather than being free thinkers, with all the pros and cons that comes with that. In times of crisis, thinking of others rather than just número uno is admirable, a form of nation building that Spain has and other countries should look up to. In other news, Seville is continuing its fight against overtourism, especially the popular neighbourhood of Santa Cruz. Therefore, an agreement has been reached with tour guide associations which promises to limit the size of tourist groups, reduce noise by using headsets rather than megaphones, and set the less intrusive routes to respect the rest of locals. The deal also aims to promote local commerce and prevent activities that hinder public use of the space. For several months now, signs have been posted around the Santa Cruz neighborhood urging tourists to comply with a series of rules. These signs already indicate that tour groups should not exceed 30 people and recommend not stopping in traffic areas. This agreement reinforces these rules, especially as there will be City Council staff ensuring that these good practices are followed.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Daily Mail
As we're banned from bringing meat and cheese home from EU... How to savour Britain's best deli delights - including Kate and William's favourite cheese!
Pockets bulging with Brie, cases full of salami – and usually a slab of French butter stuffed in my hand luggage to smear on a baguette aboard the Eurostar home. No trip abroad is complete without a tour de force – Supermarket Sweep-style – of a European supermarket en route to the airport or station. As any foodie knows, there are few greater joys than the cheese counter at Carrefour, where luscious, oozy Brie de Meaux comes in wheels so big they barely fit in the trolley. Or the charcuterie aisle in Mercadona, where you'll find hulking great jamons and strings of smoky chorizo. They simply don't make it back home like they do on the continent. So I use every family holiday as a chance to stock up and satisfy my epicurean need for aged meats, stinky cheeses and whatever other delicious treats I can find. But British holidaymakers hoping for a tasty supermarket haul this summer are in for a shock, due to a government ban on importing meat and dairy products from the EU. The rules, brought in earlier this month, mean tourists returning home cannot bring back products containing meat from pigs, cows, sheep, goats or deer, as well as dairy products. The ban, which aims to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease after a rise in cases across Europe, even applies to cheese and ham sandwiches, cakes with fresh cream and meat-filled pasta. Mercifully, other products, such as Belgian chocolate, French champagne and German beer are exempt – but anyone found smuggling banned food faces a fine of up to £5,000. Sacre bleu! I, for one, would have reconsidered our family holiday to Brittany this year if I'd realised my usual supermarket haul would be off-limits – and no doubt countless others would, too. In normal times, we Brits spend a fortune on continental groceries. According to a recent report by the Post Office, 32 per cent of holidaymakers who overspend abroad cite food and drink from local supermarkets as the reason. But fear not. There's a host of great British produce that tastes just as good – and, in many cases, better – than the European equivalents. And forget lugging it back by car, plane or train; you'll find it lovingly hand-crafted by producers up and down the country. Here's where to get your fix of continental deli foods closer to home… BRILLIANT BRITISH CHEESES TO SUIT ALL 'There are plenty of delicious, different cheeses being made in this country,' says Ned Palmer, a cheesemonger of 25 years' experience and author of A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles. 'Although we lost almost all our traditional producers by the 1970s, we have recently had a renaissance based on recipes from the continent – so you're in luck.' If you're in the mood for Brie, the soft, white mould-ripened cow's milk cheese – and more particularly the finer Brie de Meaux, which hails from the Ile-de-France region of France – then tuck into a slab of Baron Bigod (from £10, Made in Suffolk, the creamy raw milk cheese has a fudgy centre and an oozy, gooey outside, perfect for slathering on crackers or a hunk of baguette. Farmer Jonny Crickmore learned his craft from a French cheesemonger, who showed him the delicate ladling technique used to make Brie – and it boasts A-list fans in the form of the Prince and Princess of Wales. For those craving Camembert, Ned suggests Tunworth (£12.45, made in rural Hampshire, which has a rich, mushroomy flavour and aroma. Or there's Corscombe, a new cheese from Hollis Mead Dairy in Dorset (£15.15), which is smooth and slightly garlicky. If it's Swiss gruyère you're after, try Summer Field Alpine (from £9.95, made in a North Yorkshire village in the summer when the cows graze outside on grass. Sharp, sweet and hard in texture, it's similar to a gruyère or comté cheese. You could also try Lincolnshire Poacher (from £6, which Ned describes as 'the love child of cheddar and gruyère', with both a savoury tang and fruity aftertaste. The Wyfe of Bath (from £8, from the Bath Soft Cheese Co is a great Gouda substitute for your cheeseboard, with its caramel colour, semi-hard texture and buttery flavour. Sinodun Hill (from £15.45, and Perroche (from £7.25, will hit the spot if you're missing soft French goat's cheese. 'Perroche in particular is really fresh – you can bring it to a picnic, nibble it alongside Champagne or put it on a fig and grill it,' Ned suggests. Instead of Spanish Manchego, there's Yorkshire-made Ribblesdale Chego (from £14.25, which has a milky, nutty flavour and pairs perfectly with a glass of red wine or sangria. And rather than French Roquefort, tuck into Lanark Blue (from £12.70, a creamy blue-veined variety made in Scotland. Feta fans can try the comically- named 'Fetish' by White Lake Cheese at Somerset Dairy (£6.80, which has been barrel-aged in brine for four months for a crumbly texture and salty flavour. Or there's Crumbly Cheshire (available at most supermarkets; Waitrose's Belton Farm block, £3, is delicious) which is lower in salt than the traditional Greek sheep's cheese and works well on a salad in the sunshine. Finally, for the ultimate cheese toastie, swap out Raclette for Ogleshield (from £10, made from Jersey cows' milk that's been washed in brine, which melts beautifully under the grill. MOUTHWATERING CHARCUTERIE Do not despair if, like me, your summer entertaining usually revolves around a charcuterie board, with all sorts of weird and wonderful cured meats sourced from your European travels. 'British charcuterie has come a long way in 20 years,' says Ian Whitehead who, with his wife Sue, runs the Suffolk Salami Co at Lane Farm in Suffolk, and was one of the first producers of salami and chorizo in the UK in 2005. He swears their salami (from £3.50, flavoured with red wine and cracked black pepper, rosemary or fennel, is 'just as good if not better' than the German stuff – and I can vouch for that. Tender, piquant and succulent, it's hard to beat. Each batch, made from the finest cuts of pork, is cured for six to eight weeks, delicately-flavoured and hung to dry until ready to eat. 'The good part about buying British charcuterie is that the animal welfare tends to be higher,' says Ian. 'And charcuterie contains a lot of lactic acid bacteria, so it's good for the gut.' The Suffolk Salami Co also offers its take on Spanish chorizo, made from the finest-grade pimento and gently smoked for a fuller flavour, as well as coppa, or air-dried pork shoulder, which makes a mouthwatering alternative to Italian Parma ham. Hartgrove Coppa (£5.50, from Dorset's The Real Cure is another great Parma swap, dry-cured in herbs and spices and air-dried for three months. Brilliant in sandwiches or wrapped around asparagus. If it's Italian charcuterie you're craving, go to town at Somerset Charcuterie, where you'll find everything from free-range duck pancetta to wild venison peperone (from £3.84, as well as an award-winning take on coppa made with Mexican chillies. There's also Sunday Charcuterie in Lowestoft, Suffolk, which does a tempting line in pancetta, guanciale and 'nduja (from £4, all made from free range British pigs. If you're feeling indecisive, they do an antipasti board for two for £7.50. Fans of bresaola, the cured beef from Lombardy, should try Bray Cured (from £6.50, where the classic bresaola – hearty slices of British heritage beef, doused in wine before being dried – is only outshone by its cacao-cured venison version. For a continental feel, Norfolk-based Marsh Pig wraps its cured meats in paper and sells them whole (from £16, Try the Kalamata black olive salami – it's divine. Even German bratwurst isn't off the menu. Yorkshire Bratwurst, made from pork reared on North Yorkshire farms, is coarse-cut and seasoned with white pepper, just like the European sausage (£8.95, and perfect in a bun with mustard. BUTTER, YOGHURT AND DELICIOUS DESSERTS Instead of French butter on your bread, stock up on creamy Bungay Butter (from £7.95, made from its grass-fed Montbéliarde and Friesian cows – or there's Coombe Castle's lightly-salted British butter, a rich yellow-gold slab. Italy might be the home of ravioli, but you can't bring back meat or cheese-filled pasta any more – so sign up to Pasta Evangelists (from £6, which delivers British-made fresh pasta meal kits to your door, from beef agnolotti to lamb ragu. When it comes to yoghurt, Tims Dairy, in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, does a delicious, authentic-tasting Greek yoghurt in honey, blackcurrant or vanilla flavours (from £2, at Asda, Budgens, Coop and Waitrose). And if it's French patisserie you're missing, there are plenty of UK bakeries making buns, eclairs and pastry from scratch. Try London's Le Choux (choux from £16, or M&S stores for its Best Ever chocolate éclair (£5.50) – bursting with British cream and truly indistinguishable from the Parisian sweet treat.
Local Spain
13-03-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Higher costs, less supply: Spain faces same 'egg-onomic' crisis as US
The increase in the price of a dozen eggs, one of the most commonly consumed foods in Spanish households, began back to 2024 but properly started at the beginning of the year. In recent weeks, many shoppers have noticed around a 50 cent increase, with costs reaching €2.80 or higher for a dozen small-sized eggs. These price rises are not isolated, nor a one-off, but rather the result of several interconnected factors affecting production and distribution around the world. Spanish consumer watchdog Facua found that the increase can vary from one chain to another, but at the beginning of March the consumer organisation recorded increases in the price of eggs of up to 25 percent. And according to experts, they could continue to rise yet further still. Why is this? The first key is demand itself. The sector has seen an increase that dates back to 2024, with an increase of 8 percent overall, much higher than that recorded for meat or refrigerated products. Experts point to consumers looking for cheaper protein options, such as eggs, during periods of inflation. Farms in Spain have also had to deal with a series of underlying factors affecting their costs: the end of state subsidies on their electricity bills and an increase in the cost of labour and grain in recent years, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Avian flu has also played a role in global prices, especially in the US, where it has plunged it into what has already been dubbed 'ovoflation' marked by shortages and record prices. In January the average price of a dozen grade A eggs was around $4.95. President of Mercadona, Joan Roig, addressed egg prices when presenting the popular chain's record results recently: 'We raise and lower prices because raw materials go up and down,' he said, referring to the 'egg crisis' in his words. 'We don't know what will happen with commodities. We now have the 'egg crisis', with a 20 percent increase in price because 160 million hens have died in the United States,' he added. Due to the avian flu problems in the US, many American importers are now looking to Europe and Spain to fill the hole, meaning that Spanish poultry farmers could soon get a new customer base that will pay over the odds. This will be felt by Spaniards, who will be left with fewer eggs available and further price rises in the stock that remains. César Redondo of Huevos Redondo, a medium-sized egg farm in Ávila, told El Periódico de España that just 'this very week… There has been a meeting of farms to increase the price by 10 cents per dozen. 'But the outlook for the coming weeks is that the price could rise to 50 cents each,' says Redondo. 'I wouldn't be surprised if there are also restrictions and quotas per family in the coming days. The situation is going to get very, very tough,' he added.
