Month: May 2025

This explains the PVPC climb in May

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Almost a month after the blackout that ravaged Spain, Portugal and southern France, the event has caused A wave of reactions in which the debate has been more than served. The main cause of the discussion has been the stability of the Spanish electrical system in a context of high penetration of renewable energy. Although initially the lack of inertia was indicated as possible cause, subsequent reports indicate that the level of inertia In the system it was adequate and exceeded European recommendations. Research has pointed to A series of anomalous eventsincluding oscillations in the electricity grid and generation losses in southwest regions, which triggered the collapse. However, there are still inquiries to continue to determine exactly the origin of the failure. It is a process that will take time: that they tell USA either Italywhere similar research took years. But in the meantime, the priority is to guarantee stability at all costs. The problem is that this security has a price. A price to pay. The Electricity of Spain (REE) has intensified The energy support with gas plants to ensure speed of response to any mismatch. This greater “firmness and flexibility” implies cost overruns that are already beginning to be noticed in the receipt of the light of many homes. In depth. The May electrical bill will be more expensive for about a third of domestic consumers: those that are welcomed to the regulated market (PVPC). According to the countryan average family with a consumption of 249 kilowatts hour (kWh) in May will pay 4.08 euros more in April. That represents an approximate rise of 8% compared to 50 euros from the previous month. The increase is not due to the price of energy itself, but to an increase in the so -called “adjustment services”, costs associated with maintaining the balance of the electrical system in real time. In May, these services have been more expensive to 3.59 cents per kWh. In the coming months. Despite this punctual rebound, the general context of the electrical system is favorable. The average May cost is below € 14/MWh, very close to the historical minimum registered in April 2024, according to the data of the Iberian Energy Market (OMIE). In addition, now the impact only affects the regulated market, but in the medium and long term it will have consequences for those in the free market, when they renew contracts or change company. What if the support had been given by the nuclear? Although they provide stable generation, their lack of flexibility prevents them from reacting quickly to events such as the blackout. In fact, during the April 28 crisis, nuclear power plants were automatically disconnected and took more than other sources to work again, such as Several experts explained to us. In addition, the high renewable generation of these months has forced to operate the idlewhich further limits its role as system support. Therefore, the reinforcement has fallen to the most expensive gas plants, and the extra cost is over the invoice. A photo for summer. In the last daily balances of Ree, corresponding to the last days of May, A strong renewable prominence is confirmed in the Spanish electrical system. However, this advance is not exempt from challenges since to guarantee the stability of the network in an environment of high renewable penetration, it will be necessary to strengthen investment in technologies of storage, MicroRedes and backup systems that ensure a safe and continued supply. Image | Pexels Xataka | The electricity bill is rising again in Europe and Spain. A perfect storm of gas is to blame

Online trade was supposed to retire supermarkets. The reality is that in Spain they do not stop opening

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Despite all its uncertainties and The unknowns sown by the tariff war, 2025 promises to be a good year for the supermarket sector. At least if we trust Growth forecasts and shared figures A few days ago by Asedasthe Spanish Association of Distributors, Self -Services and Supermarkets. According to their estimates, during the first four months of the year 244 stores have opened in Spain, 25% more than during the same period last year. Not just that. The sector expects to say goodbye to 2025 with 850 new establishments. If confirmed, the map of establishments distributed throughout Spain could exceed the 26,000 barrier. A figure: 778. He arrives at the majority of cities and large municipalities in the country to verify the trend, but besieged, the employer of the sector, has put figures: In Spain there are more and more supermarkets. According to their latest annual report, in 2024 they opened 778 new stores that raised the total map of points of sale of the country (self -services, super and hypermarkets) to 25,585. Once the closures are discounted, that leaves a “Net growth” of 352 businesses with respect to those operated in 2023. And how will this year go? Although 2024 closed with a map of the sale map, the inaugurations rhythm was somewhat lower than that of recent years. In 2024, 778 openings were registered, but in 2023 they were 787 and the previous year 889. Asedas, which Agglutina To companies such as Savoramas, Aldi, Covirán, Día, Lidl or Mercadona, hope that this “slight descent” is “passenger”. The reason: So far this year the association has already registered 244 openings, 25% more than during the same months of 2024. Their forecasts pass because the year ends with 850 new premises. Changes in the sector. Beyond its opening data or the size of the National Park, The report Asedas is interesting because it leaves some ideas about the trends that govern in the sector. The most interesting probably is that the supermarket format “strengthens itself as the most successful”, compared to others such as self -service or hypermarket. The association also requires that more than half of the stores (about 50.6%) “They are framed in proximity and coexistence formulas.” Interesting is also the speed with which the market changes. Asedas estimates that since 2021 almost a quarter (23%) of the network has been renewed or renovated. For the collective the key to that “dynamism” connects mainly with associative trade, such as franchises and cooperatives, which in 2024 were behind approximately 60% of the openings. “They have a great impact on the rural world, since a third of these inaugurations occurred in municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants,” They emphasize. “Regional leaders”. Another of the keys to the growth of the sector is, In Asedas opinionin the “regional leaders.” In fact, in its report, the focus on 25 companies (audited in total 320 companies) that increased their average commercial area from 2021, which far exceeds the general tendency of the sector, which also grew, but only 4.3%, were audited. It is not the first to point in that direction. In 2024 Kantar He already pointed out in Another sectorial study How the super regional were planting the white brands and large chains. “In a context of market stability, the organized distribution sector has registered a 0.6% growth in volume during 2024, mainly driven by short assortment chains and regional supermarkets,” Kantar collected in February, in February Another report in which he calculates that regional ones have reached a quota of 18% after having grown 0.7 points. The reason: its supply of frescoes, personalized service and expansion to new geographical areas. Pending rural. Asedas slides another interesting idea: despite the urban exodus, their data shows that in Rural the retail Food continues to register more openings than closures. Between 2020 and 2024 he estimates that they have opened their doors 1,117 new stores In municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants, which means that almost a quarter (23.6%) of the openings were concentrated in rural environments. The employer also highlights the role of small businesses and family chains with networks of 10 or even less stores, although the truth is that smaller businesses do not always endure the thrust of the chains. Kantar slides That the growth of the “organized distribution sector”, including regional supermarkets, has been achieved in part by the “volume transfer” from the “traditional trade”, which has punctured almost 4%. Their February data They corroborate that operators with the highest market share in value are Mercadona, Carrefour, Lidl, Eroski, Dia, Consum, Alcampo, Aldi and IFA. Among the nine bind a quota that touches 70% of the market. In total Asedas estimates that the sector set has 25,585 active establishments (14,486 supermarkets, 10,589 self -service and 510 hypermarkets) that give direct employment to about 414,100 people. The annual investment in new construction of the Round collective between 1,000 and 1.3 billion of euros. Are all opportunities? No. Despite the opening data or the increase in the benefit (together the main companies added 2,141 million of euros in 2023, with an ascending profitability curve), the sector also faces challenges. The main one: although the business expect to growwill do it in a very competitive scenario. “In a market that barely grows in volume, the challenge is to gain share of other competitors. It requires having a clear and differential value proposal, which attracts and fidelize better to consumers and exploit roads of inorganic growth,” Comment to The avant -garde Enrique Porta, consumer partner and retail of the KPMG audit. Another key is to adapt to new market trends, such as less and less weight relative of the hyper, or adjust the size of the network to the demand. After all, although the sector expects to register hundreds of new openings throughout the year, which could even raise the points of sale above 26,000, Nor is it alien to closures, layoffs and readjustments. Images | Alcampo and Eroski In Xataka | In … Read more

Chinese immigrants have always been a mystery to Spain. The podcast ‘a and a half Chinese’ is solving it from within

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‘A and a half Chinese’ is one of the last phenomena that have emerged in Spain portraying the Chinese-Spanish experience. It’s about A podcast Made by a couple of young people from Chinese origin but totally settled in Spain, and who interview program after program to immigrants from the Asian country (although not exclusively), with which they address extremely diverse issues: from the personal experience of a Chinese that is also black to the evolution of purely Chinese businesses in Spain such as restaurants or bazaars. A combination of success. Jiajun Yin and Lin are the two presenters of ‘A and a half Chinese’, and a fast flutter on the themes of your programs And the extracts that select for social networks make clear the secret of their success, beyond the acidic gaze that translates the Chinese experience in Spain. It is a program that raises a very personal balance between playing with the topics of the Chinese seen from outside (with humor that, if it came from someone not Chinese, would be considered racist, as competitions to open your eyes a lot) and first -hand information about How Chinese immigrants open so many businesses in Spain. Main themes. The themes that Jiajun Yin and Lin van from personal anecdotes to the cultural shock, through the process of dismantling community stereotypes or detailing the differences between generations of migrants. Thanks to their ability to make a speaker of issues little visible in traditional media and, with the help of their closeness and humorous tone, they have earned an audience that exceeds, Only on YouTubealmost 130,000 subscribers. Chinese-Spanish for the world. ‘A and a half Chinese’ is not an isolated phenomenon there are multiple creators and artists who have similar approaches: an integration experience in Spain, but without losing their Chinese identity along the way. For example, without leaving the orbit of podcasts, we have a ‘Banana Generation‘. Its author is Ouyang Zhu, with a more serious point than ‘a Chinese and a half’ and that borders activism, with conversations about the Children of migrants And the problems to integrate, getting to touch aspects such as the relationship between racism and mental health. Second generation. Content creators such as ‘a Chinese and a half’ or ZHu address the needs and concerns of a second generation of migrants. This claimed in ‘El País’ the need to have “mediocre referents“That they are not marked by success or sacrifice. It is a generation often raised in solitude due to the work demands of the parents, who often Invite your podcast to also expose their views. On paper. Not only in the world of podcasts there are authors with these themes. For example, Quan Zhou Wu She is a comic author born in Spain of Chinese parents. Theirs are works such as ‘Gazpacho Agridulce’, ‘Andaluchinas for the world’ and ‘People from here, people from there’, in which they also add up issues such as racism, bureaucracy or the sense of belonging. Minke Wang, meanwhile, is a writer and poet and lives in Spain since the age of ten. In books like ‘Overseas voices‘makes a non -fictional story about the hybrid identity that has marked several generations of his family. A mentality that has marked second generation migrants, who are now being expressed with their own works. In Xataka | China wants to dominate world trade and has a plan in progress: bring the sea to its interior cities

Sam Altman is building an empire with Openai. One with some lights and with many shadows

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Sam Altman is a master of empathy. He listens to you as if you were the most interesting person in the world, learn what he needs about you and his speech fits what you want. And so convince you. It is one of the first conclusions that Karen Hao arrives in her new book ‘Empire of ai’. In it we are narrated OpenAI origins and its evolution Thanks to hundreds of interviews with employees and former employees of the company, in addition to those made to professionals from other companies in the artificial intelligence industry. Altman is loved or hated, there is no middle ground We actually know the story – in Xataka We have been Speaking of Openai – but what Hao proposes to us is a visit to what happens behind the scenes, contributing many details that help us understand the past, present and perhaps the future of the company. Many of those details focus on the figure of Sam Altman, which does not go especially well stopped. Brilliant as a seller of apparently impossible projects, Altman is sparse in words in his communications with other colleagues. Write emails with a single word, “Meet”to arrange appointments, and sometimes use a simple “?” Because who writes less seems to win the game. Of that Jeff Bezos knows a lot. That, of course, when I wrote something, because according to Hao Altman leaves almost nothing written. Everything is verbal, something that allowed him to argue after people did not remember well what he had talked to him. The opinions of those who talk about him in the book are significant. One of them commented that “it is so attentive. But partly uses it to find out how to influence you in different ways.” Others commented how Altman avoids expressing negative emotions and also confrontation. He dodged the word “no” in conversations with other people. “Others began to see him as someone diabolically capable of beating situations in his favor.” Ilya Sutskever, one of the co -founders who came after her differences with him, left A disturbing statement: “I don’t think Sam is the right person to be the one who has your finger on the AGI button.” OpenAi lives his own ‘Game of Thrones’ Paul Graham, his mentor in Yc Combinator, left two citations that leave a clear idea of ​​what Sam Altman is like. In the first commented that “you could throw in parachute to an island full of cannibals, return in five years and he would be the king.” In the second reinforced That vision of his protégé: “Sam is extremely good when it comes to becoming someone with power.” It is something that Hao often mentions in the book and that makes it clear that Altman does very well one thing: win the battles for power. There are two clear examples, also known. The first, when managed to snatch Musk The direction of Openai at the beginning of that unique adventure. The second, when After his scandalous dismissal He returned more force than ever as the almighty CEO of OpenAi. Those two moments in the history of this company are actually reflecting what happens in any empire: the view seen is usually impeccable, great, powerful. The hidden face is full of internal conflicts and wars, battles for power, and rivalries and differences of criteria that end badly. In all these battles an Altman was imposed again and again that according to Hao used a singular tactic: he changed his speech according to the interlocutor. What he had told A was often what he had told B. The problem arose when A and B were talking about what Altman had told both of them. That also happened with Openai’s original vision. Created as a laboratory for the development of a beneficial for the world, The approach would change soon. To share knowledge and details about its models, the company became a secretism bunker. Seeking to be the AI ​​monopoly Like Oppenheimer, Altman Believe That “technology occurs because it is possible”, and like others before him – including one of his mentors and friends, Peter Thiel – his goal (such as his competitors, of course) is clear according to Hao: What he wants is to create an AI monopoly. We have seen that with the evolution of their models, increasingly powerful, and that They were there to earn money. That was the vision that has ended up winning. The other, to try to develop a safe and “aligned with the objectives of the human race” has been in the background. In fact Hao reflects it well in the book. If Openai is leading the AI ​​career today it is not only for having been the first to launch a chatbot like Chatgpt, but for its apparently disproportionate climbing. He has invested more than anyone from the beginning. To start, to capture talent. When the project began to create OpenAi Ilya Sutskever, I worked in Google Brain and was already considered a superlla of this segment. The rest of the founding members were offered a salary of $ 175,000 and shares of YC Combinator or Spacex. But Sutskever was offered almost two million dollars annuallybut Google counteroffierted on a bid whose final figure is not known. What is known is that Sutskever ended up abandoning Google to sign for Openai –And then leave it-. In 2016 of the 11 million that Openai spent, seven were for salaries. Initially the company “did not really know what I was doing,” explains Hao: few of the things they worked worked, and those who did it “seemed little original or something someone had already done.” There were more ambitious bets. It is demonstrated by the famous demo of that kind of “GPT 2.5” that made Bill Gates in April 2019. Until then those who investigated the development of foundational models of AI did so training those models with a few dozen gpus. Darío Amodei – who ended up leaving Openai to co -confound … Read more

A chip for the much cheaper than its H20 prohibited by the US

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In early May we tell you that Nvidia engineers were working on the development of A trimmed review of your GPU for artificial intelligence (AI) H20 with the purpose of Place it on the Chinese market. To understand what is happening the first thing we should keep in mind is that during the last fiscal year, which expired on January 26, 2025, China represented approximately 13% of total income of the company led by Jensen Huang with a figure of about 17,000 million dollars. In practice, the country governed by Xi Jinping is the third best client of this company only behind the US and Taiwan. However, the sanctions to China that are deploying the US government threatens Nvidia’s survival in this Asian country. Currently this company cannot sell its chips to its Chinese clients for the most advanced. And in the middle of last April the US Department of Commerce imposed new export restrictions on China from The H20 GPU of Nvidia. Nvidia is going to assault China with a chip for the much cheaper than its H20 The reception they have given to the GPU H20 The Chinese clients of Nvidia has been very good despite the fact that the capabilities of this chip are clearly lower than those of the other proposals for the this company. In fact, initially the Department of Commerce allowed its sale in China because this integrated circuit met the restrictions it had imposed. And despite its limitations its sales in China 50% quarter to quarter have grown Since he arrived in this market in mid -2024. TSMC will not use its advanced cowos packaging in the manufacture of this chip. It is one of the reasons why its price is restrained Anyway, this time of bonanza is over. The restrictions of the Department of Commerce in practice prevent Nvidia Deliver the H20 GPU to its Chinese clientsbut This company does not give up. And is that, according to Reutersin June the Taiwanese manufacturer of TSMC semiconductors, the largest on the planet, will begin the manufacture of a new GPU for NVIDIA with the latest Blackwell microarchitecture. Presumably this is the chip with which Nvidia will aspire to maintain its domain in the Chinese market. However, before being able to send these GPU to China, the company led by Jensen Huang will have to receive the approval of the US Department of Commerce. What we know at the moment is that this chip for AI will be less capable than the H20 GPU, as is logical, and also that its price will move between $ 6,500 and $ 8,000. For domestic users it is a lot of money, but in the field of professional GPUs for AI it is a moderate price. In fact, the GPU H20 Cuesta Between 10,000 and $ 12,000so it is evident that Nvidia wants to protect the competitiveness of this chip to prevent Huawei, Moore Threads and other Chinese companies from snatching a juicy portion of this market. Image | Nvidia More information | Reuters In Xataka | The US gives Huawei a great opportunity: to get its new chip for AI with the Nvidia market in China

Thousands of Byd cars have become obsolete for their own promises. Solution: lower prices

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A drop of 8% of the shares. Although forceful, The fall in the actions of Byd It should not be too worrying for your shareholders if we take into account that it is close to its historical maximums but it is a symptom of the difficulties that the Chinese market of the car can pass in the coming months. Byd has taken all the spotlights for being The company that is leadingat this time, the sale of plug -in vehicles but in the fall of their shares, companies such as Li Auto, Geely or Great Wall Motors that have fallen more than 4%have also accompanied. The reason: the sales of byd. Now with a 35% discount The Chinese state needs its citizens to buy. It’s not something, much less new. In fact, in Xataka We already told you almost a decade that the country tries to underpin domestic trade, a way to support national growth and limit dependence on exports abroad. That need is now sharpened with the electric car. The country has done everything possible to lead the transition to this technology and adopt a leading role in an industry that until now had resisted. That has led to lifting an absolutely brutal internal competition that will inevitably leave some companies along the way. In fact, Some Chinese experts They point out that companies such as Nio, Xpeng or Li Auto, who are monopolizing spotlights for their performance in the electric car or automated driving capabilities, run an important risk of going bankrupt. Any of them, as I had a long time ago Reuters He is losing thousands of dollars with each car sold. Therefore, an open pricing war would put them against the strings. A price war that in Byd is willing to play. At least to remove a stock they need to give out. And like the State, the plug -in company bigger in China You need the local market to continue working in full performance. In the middle of its expansion to third markets, the company has to continue leading local commerce but has pierced itself. In February the company launched the message that all its electric cars and plug -in hybrids They will ride, in the future, their “eye of God”the most advanced driving aid system they have in the market. The promise caught the industry by surprise and was a direct blow to brands like Tesla, who hope to take performance to their software. Byd, on the contrary, chooses to mount this standard in all its cars because, it is intuited, The income path expects it to be another. Then, some analysts understood that China’s price war that two years ago caused an earthquake in the industry had returned. However, it has been now when Byd has taken the next step after a few months of relative calm: discounts of up to 34% in their cars. Specifically has been the Byd Sealin plug -in hybrid format, which has received this juicy discount. But it is not the only car that can be bought at a much lower price. They point out in Bloomberg that up to 22 different models have received important discounts. He Byd Seagullthe cheapest electric car on the market and one of the best selling in China, can be found for 20% less and that already sold below 10,000 dollars in the local market. The movement, they say from the economic environment, aims to revive sales in a market in deceleration but, above all, take stock from above. Since it was announced that the new automated driving system would reach any new car launch, vehicles in the dealers have become obsolete and it is difficult to give them exit. In fact, also since Bloomberg They pointed out that even byd’s dealers in China are going through difficulties. Some of them have had to close and Data from the Chinese passenger car association They say that there are 3.5 million cars to sell and that the inventory average is 57 days per car sold, the highest figure since December 2023. Although discounts have been active since April and, in fact, They have been noticed this May It is now when the company has announced A new wave of discounts. That need to get its cars to the street is the same as Tesla had to get the market Tesla Model and Prejuniper And it is one of the most common problems facing cars companies when they have to announce new models. However, competition is so fierce and The industry advances so fast in China That an ad like the February can leave thousands and thousands of cars in a limbo waiting for a buyer. But, above all, it puts the rest of the industry that sees as Byd can continue to press its prices, even if only to take obsolete vehicles from above, while the rest of the companies seek a profitability that continues to resist. Photo | Byd In Xataka | Byd set out to win the electric car race. And then a TSMC factory went on sale

The US wants to end the chips for the Chinese that are sold abroad. And China knows how to defend oneself

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The US Department of Commerce gave in the middle of this May A very important step forward in His offensive against Huawei’s business outside China. During the last weeks this Chinese company has presented two chips for artificial intelligence (AI), the Ascend 910d and the Ascend 920with which he seeks to occupy the holes in the Chinese market that will presumably leave Nvidia as a result of the latest sanctions to China deployed by the US. The American company led by Jensen Huang can no longer deliver to its Chinese clients Your H20 GPUand, precisely, Huawei aspires to get that market portion with its new chip ascend 920. The other GPU, the Ascend 910D chip, presumably delivers a performance comparable to that of the GPU NVIDIA H100so it aspires to consolidate as a solid alternative to the latter. The US cannot control the presence of Huawei in China, but has taken a very important step forward to cut off its presence outside its country of origin. The US is determined to prevent the sale of chips for Chinese outside China Frequently some readers ask us why the US has the power to prevent Asml, which is a company of the Netherlands, to sell its most advanced lithography teams to its Chinese clients. This right lies on a fundamental principle: the most advanced machines produced by ASML, such as its equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) or deep ultraviolet (UVP) use US technologies. One of the most important is the innovation that allows these machines to generate ultraviolet radiation with adequate wavelength. If the US applies this regulation, China will activate its anti -senses law This is in essence the same principle that the US Department of Commerce has appealed to approve a resolution by which no country on the planet can buy the GPUs for the Ascend de Huawei. According to this American institution this Chinese company has produced these chips illegally using US technologiesso its export outside the borders of the country governed by Xi Jinping violates the export controls of the Department of Commerce. However, this is not all. And it is that last week the US government announced that this prohibition has acquired a global character, so it is no longer limited to the GPUs for Ia that produces Huawei, but affects all chips for the developed by Chinese companies. As expected, the Beijing Government He has taken it as an aggression. And has responded to the US with less moderation than on other occasions. His first measure has consisted of announcing that if the US applies this regulation, China will activate its anti -senses law. According to Xin QiangProfessor of the Institute of International Studies of the Fudan University, in Shanghai, “China’s countermeasures against this new chips restriction will impact US technology companies with large businesses in China (…) These technology companies They have a great influence in Washington“There is no doubt that the administration led by Xi Jinping has the ability to respond to its American counterpart. In fact, Qiang holds that “Beijing is essentially following US movements: you scales, I scall; you reduce, I reduce.” And we cannot ignore that China still has a margin to press the US and its allies hardening its export controls of critical minerals. Image | Moore Threads More information | SCMP In Xataka | In a low voice, China has begun to remove some tariffs from US products. Your concern: the chips

The last Xiaomi tablet has already dropped in price. And also includes one of its most useful accessories

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Xiaomi usually has a good assortment of offers in his official store. Normally we see only discounts on certain devices or accessories, but many others, in addition to the discount, include other additional gift products. This is what happened with its last tablet, the Xiaomi Pad 7which is located in the official offer store and in a pack that comes along with its case and keyboard. All this for 339.99 euros instead of 529.98 euros. Xiaomi Pad 7 + keyboard case * Some price may have changed from the last review A good price for the Xiaomi Pad 7 with its case with keyboard The Xiaomi Pad 7 It is a quite interesting tablet for the price it has (both launch and offer). This tablet stands out for several reasons, being one of them its panel, since it mounts a 11.2 -inch LCD screen that offers both a 3.2K resolution and a 144 Hz soda rate. In addition to this, inside we find the processor Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. It is not the most powerful of Qualcomm, but it is interesting for a tablet that was initially launched at a price of 399.99 euros. In addition, in this case, it comes with an 8 GB configuration of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Pad 7 comes with speakers that are compatible with Dolby Atmosan ideal addition if we are going to reproduce multimedia content. It also comes with a battery of 8,850 mAh and with the aforementioned case valued at 129.99 euroswhich includes a keyboard to write much more comfortable (something that can be used, above all, to study). You may also interest you New’c 2 pieces, screening screen for Xiaomi Pad 7, Pad 7 Pro, Antiañazos, Ultra Resistant Tempered Glass * Some price may have changed from the last review Logitech MX Ergonomic wireless vertical mouse, multi -ordering, 2.4 GHz/Bluetooth with USB unifying receptor, 4000 dpi optical follow -up, 4 buttons, fast charge – black – black * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Xiaomi In Xataka | Best tablets (2025). Which to buy and 9 recommended models for all pockets and needs In Xataka | The best Xiaomi mobile price: purchase and comparative guide

Spain has declared the Airbnb war. So hotels have uploaded prices

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Last week the Ministry of Consumer claimed Airbnb that Block about 66,000 “illegal” ads of tourist apartments spread throughout Spain. The fight against Break of Tourist Floors In our country it continues to give many headaches, but blocking those ads points to a direct consequence already known and feared by tourists. New York is more exclusive. The city that never sleeps He planted face to short -term rentals offered by Airbnb, VRBO or Booking. The goal was to alleviate the abuses and exorbitant prices with which the New Yorkers dealt every time they had to look for residence. Eighteen months later the conclusions of the measures were worrisome and universal: the prices of the floors that were maintained in that catalog of services rose, and what people did when looking for rentals to live (not holidays) was New Jersey end. And the lesson of Barcelona. The city is the only one that has limited tourist floors since 2014. This would allow many of them to return to the traditional rental market and thus the average rental price would fall. As indicated in In the countrya PWC report demolishes those two myths after analyzing what has happened since 2014 to 2023 in that city: The accumulated growth of traditional rentals has been 2.2%, totally insufficient. Much of the homes that were rented via Airbnb have not returned “to the traditional market The rental price has fired 72% in that period More expensive hotels. And those who have benefited from the situation have been hotels. In 2024, the average price per room and night It was 187.8 euros In Barcelona, ​​8% more than in 2023 and 30% more than in 2019. Barcelona is already the third most expensive destination in its hotel offer in Spain only behind Marbella and the Balearic Islands, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield’s consultant. 12,000 empty homes. The Apartur Association of Tourist Apartments in Barcelona indicates that there are 12,000 empty homes that do not go on the residential rental market. They do not according to them for two reasons: the price limitation, which reduces profitability, and the High Okupation. The solution would be to offer both legal certainty and tax incentives for owners. Otherwise, those responsible for the association say, the situation will continue to be equally problem or more. Madrid points to the same (worrying) destination. The housing problem goes beyond tourist floorsand although the intention of the Ministry of Consumer is good, it is not likely that these more than 65,000 homes will pass to the residential market to relieve the situation. A report From ESADEECPOL reveals how homemade prefer seasonal rentals (between 1 and 12 months) because it does not force signing five -year contracts or limiting prices as in some areas (Caraluña, the Basque CountryNavarra and Asturias). The other consequence: empty houses. Adolfo Meras is the president of Madrid, an association that represents 5,000 homemade housing housing. According to him, “there are many homemade who They leave their empty houses due to the lack of guarantees and because they are not willing to do without their homes during the five years that the Law of Urban Leases marks. “They prefer to have their empty houses to be able to dispose of them occasionally and if they need it, to rent them with the conditions imposed by the law currently. My apartment like bonus. The Mabrian firm has conducted a tourist offer monitoring study, and according to data cited in the country, the photo of the tourist rental is different from the one that We imagined. Tourist floors are not controlled by large funds: large holders (more than 11 homes) represent 2% of total hosts. Individuals (a home), 74.1% and small holders (two to 10), 23.9%. Three out of four hosts, therefore, “use their properties as a route to obtain additional income, while extending the ability to accommodate tourist accommodation in the destinations,” emphasizes Carlos Cendra, partner of Mabrian. Tourism punishment. The limits that have been imposed on Airbnb in the past in cities such as Barcelona or New York, and that gradually leave extending to other citiesthey are not relieving the housing problem because those tourist floors They do not become residential rentals. The direct consequence is the rise in prices in the existing tourist offer, both in Airbnb or Booking and in hotels, something that ends up being a problem for tourism. It can reduce it, which will placate the anger of those who criticize mass tourism, but it does not seem to be causing these cities to solve their housing problem. Image | Jorge Fernández Salas In Xataka | After expanding throughout the planet, touristification has reached Antarctica. And it is already taking its toll

Mercadona has fired its benefits but has also closed stores for the first time in years. The reason: the “stores 8”

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For the first time in decades, Mercadona reduced its physical network while firing benefits 37% to 1,384 million euros. No other Spanish chain approaches that figure. The paradox has a name: “Stores 8”, a format that can double profitability but forces to close establishments incompatible with it. What is happening. The chain went from 1,681 stores in 2023 to 1,674 in 2024, closing 49 establishments compared to 42 openings. It is not crisis: it is strategy. “8” stores “need spaces of 1,500 square meters to be efficient, impossible in much smaller stores, why they will work decades ago. “We are a assembly chain and the less variability it has, the better it works,” said Juan Roig in the presentation of 2024 results, according to Valencia Plaza. A well -located store 8 absorbs customers from several nearby small stores, concentrating traffic at more profitable points. It is a calculated cannibalization. In figures: 1,431 stores already function as store 8 (85.5% of the total). 10,000 million invested in 7 years of transformation. 3.88% record marginup to foreign chains such as Walmart (2.88%) or Costco (2.95%). 419 million allocated in 2024 only to adapt stores to the new model. The context. “8” stores “are diaphanous spaces with large corridors, advanced technology and new sections such as” ready to eat. ” They reduce energy consumption by 40% and improve purchase experience, but demand specific locations with good accesses and parking. Roig admits to make “frequently unpopular decisions” closing stores due to “small size, access problems or lack of profitability.” The model prioritizes operational uniformity over territorial capillarity: better few perfect stores than many mediocre. Yes, but. Nor are they “perfect stores.” Roig himself says it And his own name says: they are called that because “to get to 10 they must still incorporate new elements and services demanded by customers.” Deepen. Mercadona is changing its commercial map by store. The objective is to complete the 100% transformation in 2026, sacrificing less efficient establishments to concentrate investment in Premium locations. Operational perfection has become its competitive advantage, even if that means leaving some neighborhoods without a merchant as hand as before. Outstanding image | Mercadona In Xataka | Juan Roig believes that cooking at home has no future. There are eight million Spaniards who are already giving the right

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