luxury

Light and gas have become luxury items. Europe’s plan is to intervene in prices no matter what the cost

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Turning on the heating, running a washing machine or keeping a factory blind up has become, overnight, a luxury. Faced with the economic asphyxiation that threatens citizens and companies, the European Union has crossed the Rubicon: the free energy market, as we knew it, cannot sustain this crisis, and Brussels is preparing a drastic intervention to lower the bill at any cost. ORn global market on fire. The epicenter of this new financial earthquake is in the Middle East, as we have been counting these days in Xataka. The price of oil in international markets continues to suffer shocks; as the firm points out Sparta Commodities to EUobserverit is the “largest daily movement since 1988.” Investors assume that the blockage in the region will cause real cuts in the global supply of crude oil, leaving behind the idea of ​​​​a simple logistical delay in ships. Gas has not been left behind. As detailed BloombergEuropean natural gas futures—the Dutch benchmark—soared 30% in a single day, reaching €64/MWh. Europe emerges from the winter with its reserves depleted and is now facing an all-out war with Asia to obtain the scarce shipments of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) available for the summer. The daily roller coaster of the bill. To understand why this crisis punishes the consumer so much, we must look at how the price of electricity is formed hour by hour. An analysis of Finance Times shows how prices in Europe now suffer wild volatility. The example of last March 4 is devastating: at the height of the solar peak (2:00 p.m.), a megawatt hour in Denmark cost just 26 euros; Just three hours later, after the sun set and the gas plants came into play, the price catapulted to 430 euros. This “roller coaster”, with jumps of up to 1,700% in one afternoon, has been replicated with the same harshness in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Gas thus imposes a “law of luxury” every time the sun disappears, preventing the industry from planning its production. Intervene “whatever the cost.” With a heavy industry (steel, chemicals, aluminum) on the brink of the abyss – it is worth remembering that, according to a document from the European Commission cited by Euronewsindustrial electricity in the EU was already twice as expensive as in the US and China before this crisis—Europe has decided to act. According to the documents discussed by the European leaders to whom has had access Euronewsthe emergency plan seeks quick relief by putting the scissors directly into the bill in three ways: National tax cuts: Which currently vary enormously and can amount to up to 22% of the electricity bill. Cap on tolls and network charges: Which represent 18% of the bill for large industrial consumers. Review of carbon emission costs: Which add 11% to the cost of electricity generation. The intervention beyond of tax cuts. The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has toughened her tone towards companies. In statements cited by Euronewswarned: “We will do everything possible to stop speculation. I am ready to react, if necessary, including by increasing taxes on companies that speculate on prices through energy bills.” Furthermore, the panic button for strategic reserves has been activated. As explained Reutersthe finance ministers of the G7 and the EU are negotiating to release part of the 1.4 billion barrels of strategic reserves that Europe keeps to flood the market and artificially sink prices. The impact of not intervening in time. Bloomberg details the case of Domo Chemicalsa plant in the German industrial city of Leuna, which has had to declare insolvency consumed by energy costs. This erosion of the industrial fabric also coincides with a delicate political moment in Germany, where the conservative party (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has just suffered an electoral setback against the Greens in the regional elections in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The Spanish shield. Despite the urgency, the overall European response is being fragmented. EUobserver points out that Ursula von der Leyen has proposed as a patch to expand the Caspian Sea oil and gas corridor. Ironically, the only royal coat of arms right now is Spain. As highlighted by this same medium, the Spanish market has registered the lowest and most stable prices this week thanks to its gigantic previous investment in renewable energies, partly isolating its system from fossil volatility. Finally, the markets have experienced a slight respite thanks to geopolitics. According to the latest update of BloombergEuropean bonds rebounded and gas fell 17% on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump predicted the conflict with Iran would be resolved “very soon.” However, investors assume that if the war drags on, prices will remain high for a long time. Waking up to reality. With 67% of its consumption still tied to imported fossil fuels, the bloc is aware that depending on Middle Eastern trade routes is a huge risk for its economy. Until now, the European Union trusted that the free market would solve consumer problems and guarantee the best prices. This energy crisis has shown that this is not always the case. The authorities now assume that, in extreme situations, intervening in bills, capping profits and emptying state reserves is the only viable solution. Whatever the cost, Europe has decided to take control to ensure that turning on the lights is not a privilege reserved for times of peace. Image | freepik and Haydn on Unsplash Xataka | Neither oil nor gas: if a total war breaks out between the US and Iran, the definitive weapon will be desalination plants

There is a luxury development in Madrid that has been “hidden” for years and is stealing the spotlight from La Finca and La Moraleja

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If we think about luxury developments in Madrid, names like La Finca or La Moraleja probably come to mind. However, there is a new player on the Madrid luxury real estate board, one that has gone unnoticed for decades and has recently become fashionable among the richest. Low profile. Álamos de Bularas is an urbanization that has been standing since the 1980s, but has gone unnoticed in the shadow of more high-profile names such as its neighbor La Finca. Its strong point is precisely that: combining luxury and exclusivity with a lower profile and less media noise than other areas. But just because it is not the most famous urbanization does not mean that it does not offer high-level luxury; a search on housing portals most popular returns us a few properties that border and even exceed 4 million euros. Tranquility is what is most sought after. Like other luxury developments such as La Finca, Somosaguas or Monte Alina, our protagonist is located in Pozuelo de Alarcón (which by the way is the richest municipality in all of Spain) specifically in the northwest area. Álamos de Bulara is a fairly small urbanization, located next to Monte del Pilar, a forested area of ​​about 800 hectares. Access is closed and has private security. The location factor. In statements to the AD Magazinethe head of the Ketier real estate agency highlights that location is a key factor for more and more buyers to look at Álamos de Bularas. The urbanization is very well connected, with access to both the M40 and the A6, allowing its residents to be in the center of Madrid in less than half an hour and in the center of Pozuelo in just 10 minutes. In addition, it is very close to some prestigious private schools and sports clubs. The new refuge for VIPs. The housing crisis is also impacting how and where the wealthiest shop. We were recently talking about luxury apartments in Madrid were so expensivewhich urbanizations like La Moraleja or La Finca were becoming more “affordable” options“for the great fortunes. According to a Colliers report A year ago, the square meter in neighborhoods such as Salamanca or Chamberí reached peaks that exceeded 27,000 euros per square meter. This has caused many buyers to seek residence in peripheral areas, where demand has increased. In Xataka | The rich neighborhoods of Madrid and Barcelona have changed their accent: millionaires from the US and Mexico invest their fortunes in Spain Image | Max Vakhtbovych, Pexels

The bargain Xiaomi has died. Its new era goes through luxury, sports cars and competing in premium

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Xiaomi came into this world promising that the price was a conspiracy. That the absurd margins of Samsung and Apple were arbitrary, that a decent cell phone could cost two hundred bucks and that Democratizing was, in itself, a form of gainr. It worked and grew. It became the third smartphone brand in the world with a 14% global share, not so far from Samsung and Apple. And now, at the MWC in Barcelona, ​​he has set up a stand where there is no trace of that initial promise. There is a Xiaomi 17 Ultra for 1,500 euros with the Leica seal. There is a SU7 Ultra that breaks records at the Nürburgring. and there is a concepts of hypercar electric car called Vision Gran Turismo designed to appear in the PlayStation video game alongside Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes. The Xiaomi of the bargain has not died of success. He died, in part, out of necessity. The numbers tell the story that the statements do not usually explain: The average selling price of their smartphones fell almost three percent in 2025weighed down by the weight of Redmi in international markets. In China, its natural market, closed the year in fourth positionlosing ground to Apple and a Huawei that has returned with force. With an R&D budget that exceeds four billion dollars annually and the pressure to sustain that spending, selling more cheap mobile phones is no longer a viable strategy… …so the move to premium is an Excel thing. The photography with Leica and the SU7 Ultra we already knew them. What’s new in Barcelona is the Vision Gran Turismo, and it is true that it deserves some attention. Xiaomi is the first Chinese manufacturer to join Polyphony Digital’s Vision GT program, a club that for three decades has been the exclusive territory of large European and Japanese houses. The concept itself (a hypercar electric, 900 volt platform, power that could be around 1,900 horsepower…) will never reach production. Xiaomi knows that and we all know it. But that’s not the question. The question is why a company that sells mobile phones, appliances and electric cars dedicates resources to designing a video game car and also creates its physical version. The answer is that The Vision GT is not a product but a positioning statement executed in the only territory where Xiaomi still has no history to defend or expectations to manage: the one of pure fantasy. A place where a brand that Four years ago it didn’t even have a car division. can sit without raising an eyebrow at the same table as Porsche. Some photos of stand from Xiaomi at the MWC explain well where the shots are going: What is not seen because it is covered by people surrounding it is the Vision GT, Xiaomi’s biggest eye-catcher at this MWC. Image: Xataka. What you see when you enter the security area thanks to a convenient press pass. Image: Xataka. The queue to get on the SU7 Ultra is already a classic. Image: Xataka. Cell phones continue to attract glances… but they are not even close to the ones that their cars awaken. Or his car and his concept car. Image: Xataka. The move is very reminiscent of Hyundai when it launched Lexus, although with one difference: Hyundai had the discipline to separate the brands. Xiaomi is trying to ensure that the same logo that for years crowned 150 euro phones now supports an ecosystem that ranges from hypercar to the ultra-premium mobile passing through the connected home. This identity clash remains unresolved. And at the MWC stand it looks great: the main protagonists are Leica, the SU7 Ultra and the Vision GT. Redmi and POCO surely have a big place in the hearts of the staff of the brand, but they do not appear on any display, they are something that the Xiaomi of 2026 does not want to boast about. The bet is serious because the premium margins are much better. The vertical integration that Lei Jun pursues with its own chip, its own operating system, its own AI model, etc., It only makes economic sense if the devices that incorporate them sell at a high price.and the total ecosystem that Xiaomi is buildingfrom the pocket to the living room and from the living room to the garage, generates a blocking effect that the low price segment will never be able to offer. The risk is also serious: luxury always works by accumulation of credibility, a unilateral declaration is not enough, and Xiaomi still carries the shadow of having been for a long time the brand you chose when you couldn’t afford anything else. Or when you could, but you preferred not to, and you clung to that comforting feeling of getting something as good as your neighbor while paying half as much. Convincing that neighbor that you are now worth three times as much is one of the biggest marketing challenges in the tech industry right now. In Xataka | Leica is teaching Xiaomi everything it knows. When the student no longer needs the teacher, the agreement will have fulfilled its function Featured image | Xataka

Sandra Ortega rents hotels to hotels. Amancio Ortega has copied the model with a luxury hotel in Paris

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If Amancio Ortega is characterized by something, it is his proven sense of smell. the real estate business by the hand of your investment company. In July 2025, the millionaire founder of Inditex closed the purchase of one of the most luxurious hotels in the center of Paris. The hotel business is not Ortega’s strong suit, but the buildings that house these hotels are, which later rents to large hotel chains. This play is not one more purchase from the tycoonis a business model in which her eldest daughter: Sandra Ortega specializes. The Radisson Hotel Group firm, owned by the Chinese Jin Jiang, and the second largest hotel company in the world, has announced that in the summer of 2026 it will open a new establishment in the building that Amancio Ortega purchased. The great purchase in the heart of Paris. Pontegadea paid 97 million euros in July 2025 for the Banke Hotel, a five-star hotel with 91 rooms that until now was owned by the Derby Hotels chain. Although the purchase of this building is far from being the most expensive investment of Pontegadea, it is the most expensive asset of the hotel investment company. As usually happens in buildings you acquire Pontegadea, the Hotel Banke is located in one of the most exclusive areas of the French capital: on rue de La Fayette, a stone’s throw from the Galeries Lafayette and the Opera Garnier. A privileged location for tourists and executives. Solvent tenants and immediate profitability. Pontegadea strictly follows a common pattern in all its real estate operations: selecting buildings in privileged areas and securing contracts with immediate tenants of maximum solvency for them. Amazon, Google, DHL, Apple, Spotify, Primark itself and Inditex franchises are its main clients. This makes Pontegadea begin to make its properties profitable immediately. In the case of the Banke Hotel in Paris, Pontegadea signed with Radisson Hotel Group almost immediately after its purchase. Given the location and the category that the building already held, the hotel firm has decided to operate it under the Radisson Collection, its most exclusive brand. Of the 905 hotels managed by Radisson around the world, only 42 belong to this line, 4.6% of the total, which highlights the premium level they have given to Ortega’s project. History of the building and its key renovation. This property was built in 1907 as a bank headquarters and was transformed into a hotel in 2009, preserving that historical charm that is so popular in Paris. The hotel closed at the end of September to undertake a series of reforms to adapt it to Radisson standards, opening as Banke Opera Paris in the third quarter of 2026. Radisson’s statement said: “The 90-room hotel will undergo a comprehensive renovation that will reflect a contemporary interpretation of Parisian elegance. The property features a striking Belle Époque facade and classic architectural details, including a famous staircase designed by Gustave Eiffel. Guests will be welcomed into a 19th-century atrium that will house a reception, bar and restaurant. Additional amenities include a state-of-the-art gym and wellness facilities in the former bank vault, as well as an attractive offer for meetings and events. The intelligent strategy of the Ortegas. Amancio Ortega and his daughter Sandra have polished a winning formula: acquire iconic properties in key metropolises such as Paris, New York or Miami, make the necessary tweaks and then rent them to top hotel operators. This ensures a fixed income without worrying about daily management, maximizing the value of its premium locations. In France, Pontegadea has seven acquisitions, six of them in Paris, including an office building for 227 million euros in 2024 near the Opera, integrated into the ambitious Grand Opera project. Sandra faithfully follows this paternal model, diversifying the family empire into high-end hospitality. The expanding hotel portfolio. Pontegadea started in hospitality in February 2021 with the Senator Playaballena in Cádiz for 25 million euros. In December 2023, he added two boutique hotels in Palma de Mallorca for 35 million to a Swedish group, showing how they climb from Spain to the world. Ortega’s hotel business extends across the pond, with the Epic Hotel in Miami and the Iberostar on Park Avenue in New York. Meanwhile, Radisson reinforces its presence in France with four more openings, reaching 34 hotels in total and 11 in Paris with around 1,700 rooms, thanks to strategic partners such as Pontegadea. In Xataka | Seven of the ten largest fortunes in the world in 2026 are due to AI: this illustrative graph makes it very clear Image | Gtres, Tripadvisor

The sale of a 22 million euro mansion moves the axis of luxury on the Andalusian coast: to Sotogrande

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The price of housing in Spain it doesn’t stop going upbut this unstoppable increase has not been a brake on closing the most expensive real estate sale in Andalusia. That the mansion protagonist of the unusual record have your own name It is already an indicator of the economic level to which this home points: Niwa, a mansion in Sotograndehas closed for more than 22 million euros. To put it in perspective, that price implies that its new owner has paid about 5,116 euros for each of the 4,300 meters built of this property. Taking into account that the average price in the province of Cádiz is about 2,249 euros/m2, places the operation at levels of the price of homes in premium areas of the big cities.​ Niwa: 4,300 m2 of sustainable luxury Niwa is located in The Seven, the most exclusive sector of the already exclusive luxury development The Sotogrande Reserve. The property occupies a 10,000 m2 plot on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and facing Gibraltar, surrounded by the Los Alcornocales Natural Park.​ The mansion consists of 4,300 m2 built, distributed in nine suites, with an outdoor infinity pool, an indoor covered pool, spa, gym, cinema room, wine cellar and garage for eight cars. The project came from the pencils of Manuel Ruiz of ARK Architects and was carried out with construction techniques more advanced and sustainable with the environment since 95% of its structure was prefabricated in a factory and then assembled in the chosen location. This allowed us to reduce the impact on the environment and reduce emissions.​ Sotogrande began its development in the early 60’s as a private residential area with 24 hour security. It currently has five golf courses and is considered one of the most luxurious urbanizations and exclusive to southern Europe, which attracts foreign buyers for its designer mansions, its privacy and its proximity to exclusive services. In 2024, the average sales prices of their houses reached 1.9 million euros, with transactions reaching up to 17 million euros. Some of the new construction phases that were started were sold at 85% in phases such as Village Verde. Plots in the most exclusive areas of Sotogrande, such as The 15, start at three million euros, while in The Seven, where Niwa is located, they can exceed eight million euros per plot. “Over the last ten years, Sotogrande has invested in its facilities, maintaining its essence as a low-density, high-quality destination. It is very exciting to see how this positioning is increasingly relevant for our clients,” assured in statements to The Confidential Rita Jordão, Marketing Director of Sotogrande SA. Luxury moves south “The sale of NIWA marks the beginning of a new era for Sotogrande, where architecture and lifestyle multiply their value on the Costa del Sol and, I would dare say, on the entire Mediterranean coast. NIWA is a modern palace reinterpreted with a contemporary language that is situated halfway between the classic and the current, with a very special materiality,” confirmed its creator, pointing to a substantial change in the preferences of ultra-rich clients who seek to settle in Andalusia. Given the growth in popularity of these new luxury enclaveshistoric luxury areas, such as Marbella, are losing relevance after decades of urban pressure, and foreign buyers They have begun to set their sights on Sotogrande. “The record sale of NIWA firmly consolidates Sotogrande as a destination among the best in the world. What is happening is not a change of course, but a natural consequence of what Sotogrande offers is increasingly valued in the luxury market,” confirmed Jordão. In Xataka | A businessman built a mega mansion without permission: the neighbors have gotten the city council to demolish it Image | ARK Architects

the Deliplus fever and imitations of luxury cosmetics

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It all starts with that feeling of satisfaction and triumph when you leave the Mercadona. You haven’t been left behind and you have found that viral product that everyone on TikTok is talking about at a more than affordable price. A sensation that, when it comes to Mercadona and the year 2025, we can associate with launches starring the star ingredient and omnipresent, the pistachio, but no: in many cases the viral products of this supermarket have nothing to do with food. The devotion it provokes in perfumery and perfumery fans is nothing new. skincare, DeliplusMercadona’s cosmetics brand. Because of him, when we cross the exit door with our full bag, we realize that we have not only fallen into the trap of the viral product but also of the microspending. This is how a generation spends For those who are not familiar with the term microspendingwe are talking about that phenomenon that mostly affects generation Z and that consists of compulsively making small expenses, usually motivated by trends, the need for immediate reward or social networks. Due to their low cost, they seem like insignificant expenses, but in reality, when repeated frequently, they end up representing a considerable expense that silently depletes the current account. A subscription to Netflix, a video game on sale on Steam or the new viral lipstick from Mercadona are the only whims that many young people can afford. By not having enough capital to face large investments like a home or a car, its members choose to allocate their money to expenses more affordableimmediate and ephemeral. This increasingly restrictive economic context only allows us to search for immediate gratification, whether through a weekend getaway or with the Deliplus news section. Therefore, in terms of whims, our Mercadona basket is almost devoid of food but full of highlighters, creams or perfumes that are the new sensation. @mcarmenpadillaseq Mercadona has released a serum with a b0tox effect, and I have done a marathon to analyze it for you 🕵🏻‍♀️ #market #skincare #wrinkles #gallolegs #antiaging ♬ original sound – MCarmen Padilla Sequera Products that resemble in texture, packaging or effect to those high end cosmetics that are out of our budget like Lancôme, Dior, Fenty Beauty or Kayali. Actually, we rarely talk about viral formulas that respond to something unprecedented, but rather that satisfy our wish for the dupesoffering us those similar versions to the high range but eliminating that high price associated with brands from another category. Without going any further, in recent months Deliplus has launched a new serum for six euros in the form of a syringe but without a needle, the ‘Botox Like Serum’, which promises to help with wrinkles and expression lines to achieve that “Botox effect”. With its active ingredients, in addition to controlling these folds in certain areas, it seeks to avoid matte skin and thus also achieve that luminous skin. glass skin that is so fashionable. This combination of innovation, trend and low price It has made the product attract the attention of the consumer, in addition to creating a buzz effect on social networks; especially when compared to his Shiseido dupewhich promises similar effects fighting the signs of skin aging but with a price of around 250 euros. At first glance, everything seems perfect: the product has the approval of several specialists in cosmetics that highlight their effectiveness in those problem areas of the face, at the same time you save money and obtain many of the benefits that the product on which it is inspired promises. It seems that we would have no reason to doubt its success and virality. The enormous business of skincare The trick comes when we go in to buy that product that catches our attention, but in the end we end up with many others from the Deliplus line. Because, of course, how can I not take it if it’s so cheap? We may save 30 euros on a lipstick but we end up adding the highlighter, blush and bronzer that go to game. It’s true, they’re only around five euros each, but as long as you add up…Also, as if that weren’t enough, you walk down the hallway and that perfume dupe Armani that is trendy and that you wanted to try so much. Result: the perfect definition of microspending. The global cosmetics market continues to grow and is in full boom. There is increasing interest (especially in young population) for him skincareprevention and the search for certain active ingredients that benefit our skin such as retinol wave niacinamide. Specifically in Spain and Portugal, the perfumery and cosmetics sector exceeded 8.1 billion euros in sales in 2024 and it is expected that in 2025 it will end with a 5% additional growth. Both social networks and digital commerce play a fundamental role in promoting this habit of microspending; 66% of customers discover brands on social networks through recommendations from celebrities and influencers, and also 8 out of 10 consumers They claim to buy products after having seen them on social networks. “They have completely reshaped the beauty industry, changing the way consumers discover products and engage with brands. Platforms have democratized information, allowing anyone to share their experiences with a global audience. A positive review can spark curiosity and generate widespread interest, allowing trends to emerge quickly. Word of mouth has never been more influential” Nicola Kilner, co-founder of The Ordinary. Outside our borders, the dupes phenomenon also has great actors. ELF is one of the most prominent and its CEO, Tarang Amin, told in an interview with Washington Post one of the keys to its success. According to him, during a TikTok live, several users insisted on their interest in a product from his brand similar to the tanning drops by Drunk Elephant. He immediately asked his product division and it didn’t take long for them to go to market. Of course, for a third of the original price. Of course, China has also entered the equation. Shein, which … Read more

Netflix entrusted him with more than 70 million for a series. He came with zero episodes and a luxury mattress bill of $638,000

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Carl Rinsch, director of the semi-unknown Keanu Reeves film ’47 Ronin’ has been convicted of defrauding $11 million to Netflix. For the production of a science fiction series that was never made… nor was it planned to be made. Electronic fraud, money laundering and illegal transactions are the charges for this ingenious scoundrel who dared to tease one of the giants modern audiovisual corporations. What happened. The ‘White Horse’ project, later renamed ‘Conquest’, started in 2018 as an ambitious science fiction series about an artificial humanoid species that rebels against its creators. Netflix beat out Amazon, Apple and HBO in a bidding war for the rights to the series, disbursing more than 61 million dollars and granting Rinsch final creative control. 44 million dollars later and after filming in Uruguay, Brazil and Hungary, there was nothing on Mr. Netflix’s table. Crazy investments. In March 2020, as the pandemic spread, Rinsch requested an additional 11 million to, supposedly, complete the series. For some reason, Netflix agreed: Rinsch transferred the funds directly to personal accounts and speculated with stock options for Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that wanted to end COVID-19 (and COVID finished with her), losing approximately half of the capital in weeks. He later invested in Dogecointurning 4 million into 27. With the profits he unleashed a consumerist hurricane that resulted in five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari worth 2.4 million dollars, two Hästens mattresses handcrafted in Sweden valued at 638,000 dollars, Swiss watches worth 387,000 and antique furniture valued at 3.3 million. Netflix canceled the project in 2021 after receiving only some promotional fragments of the hypothetical series. The sentence. In an unusual strategy, Rinsch chose to testify in his own defensemaintaining that the 11 million constituted a legitimate reimbursement for own capital invested in the project, and that the material already shot served as a negotiation tool to secure a second season that Netflix would never formally authorize. The prosecution presented bank statements showing direct transfers from the production budget to Rinsch’s personal accounts. Why did it happen? To understand this series of misfortunes for Netflix’s pocket, we must contextualize when it occurred: between 2018 and 2020, Netflix was at the center of a kind of streaming “gold rush”, with spending on content that reached $17.3 billion in 2020. The platform then accumulated 45% of global spending on streaming content since 2010, doubling the investment of your closest competitorAmazon Prime Video. The war for creative talent intensified with the launch of Disney+ in November 2019, followed by HBO Max, Apple TV+ and Peacock. Those were the times when, seeking to create a consistent catalog, Netflix prioritized quantity over quality. In this context, Netflix gave Rinsch that final cut for fear of losing the project to rivals. Other frauds. Rinsch is not an isolated case in an industry increasingly vulnerable to fraud. David Ozer, producer with credentials at Starz Media and Sony Pictures Television, serves sentence after diverting more than $200,000 from the ‘Safehaven’ budget. More recently, in August 2025, David Raymond Brown was accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme for 12 million dollars: the producer created a fictitious company that issued invoices for non-existent or already paid services and falsified his profile on IMDb to attract more investors. Header | Dima Solomin in Unsplash

For years, foreigners who wanted sun and beach bought a house in Spain. Now they are looking for something else: luxury housing

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The real estate market emits signals which show that foreigners have won a relevant weight in the sale and purchase of luxury homes, which leads us to think about changes in the profile of the international buyer. Spain is no longer just a destination for families or couples from other countries interested in getting a small apartment for their vacation in search of sun and beach. It also receives wealthy people who want settle herein the cities, and is able to pay for his house out of pocket. The data are certainly suggestive. “First level destination”. I warned him recently in an interview with Idealista Paloma Pérez Bravo, CEO of Residencial de Lucas Fox, a platform specialized in the premium market: “Spain has gone from being a sun and beach getaway to a top-level luxury destination.” From your experiencethe country “has stopped being the home of the sun and has become the home of investment. People want more first homes than second homes because they are moving to Spain.” It’s not the only change he appreciates. Upon your signature, Bravo explains to SERdigital nomads are now arriving, entrepreneurs from America, English and American, also businessmen and investors who used to invest in the US and now find themselves with problems there due to Trump’s immigration policy. Is there data? Yes, although they come mainly from companies, so they must be handled with some caution. In your report On market forecasts for 2026, Lucas Fox reveals for example that 62% of buyers Those who close transactions worth more than 2.5 million euros are foreigners, more than 60% of ultra-luxury sales are signed without the need for financing and a good part of the acquisitions are made in search of a “main residence”, not to convert the property into a vacation home or as an investment. Looking ahead to next year, the company also expects that activity in the segments prime and super prime grow 3-6% and 6-10% respectively and leaves behind a fundamental idea that tells us about the profile of those clients who purchase the most expensive houses: “The international buyer is already the majority.” Specifically, the weight of Europeans stands out, followed by Americans and British. Other percentage: 92%. Lucas Fox is not the first to warn of the frequency with which foreign accents are heard in real estate agencies specializing in the premium market. A few months ago Barnes claimed that 92% of buyers from the Spanish luxury market were already foreigners. Of them, around half (49%) were also investors from outside the EU, with a notable presence especially of Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Russians, Chinese and Arabs. The community members They accounted for 43% while the Spanish, according to the real estate agency, were left with a meager 8% of the total. Are there more clues? The answer is once again affirmative. Another company that shared data recently is LuxuryEstatea premium housing portal that confirms that searches by international buyers interested in the Spanish market already represent a substantial part of its traffic. Above all, the demand for information from european countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands and the interest aroused by the premium segment of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Madrid or the Valencian Community. Other regions, such as the Canary Islands and the Basque Country, also seem to be emerging. A consolidated destination. LuxuryEstate confirm in fact that ours “is no longer just an aspirational destination, but a highly competitive market.” The comment is in line with what it points out to Lucas Fox or even CaixaBank Research, which in a recent analysis Regarding the changes in the profile of the resident foreigner who acquires housing in Spain, he warns: “Spain has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations for luxury investment in Europe.” Different buyers. In the same reportCaixaBank recalls that the demand for housing by foreigners has grown in recent years, first after the pandemic and then thanks to the improvement in financing. It also clarifies that there are differences between resident foreigners and those who do not live here and are mainly looking for houses for their vacations or as an investment. On average, the former (residents) paid around €1,795/m2 in 2024 and the latter (non-residents) €3,063/m2. These are values ​​significantly higher than those recorded by national buyers, which moved at 1,713. However, the last balance of Property Registrars shows that foreign demand for housing has reduced in the third quarter of the year, representing 13.6% of the total. The percentage reflects the entire market, not just the luxury segment, although there are those who warn that the latter is not immune to the shortage of supply, which among other issues affects its prices. Images | DaYsO (Unsplash) In Xataka | After Catalonia, there is another autonomous community considering prohibiting buying a home to invest: Canary Islands

his essay to assault luxury

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This Thursday, Zara reopened its store on Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona, ​​converted into a what you call a “boutique author’s“. The premises of almost 1,000 square meters have been designed by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, who has transformed the space into a succession of rooms that emulate a luxury home. Sofas, display cabinets, wooden and metal shelves, warm lighting and matte finishes make up a museum-like atmosphere where the garments are displayed as works of art. Van Duysen, head of stores for Ferragamo and Calvin Klein Jeans, had already designed four Zara Home collections. This is their first full store project for the group. Why is it important. Inditex implicitly admits that its physical store strategy can no longer be sustained the same as before, despite the growth of the online channel. The new boutique in Barcelona represents a change: differentiating not by volume, but by experience. The price of the garments is the same as in any other Zara, but the packaging seeks to rival the luxury brands that dominate that same avenue. This is the second store that Zara has signed with a renowned architect after the reopening of its Serrano location in Madriddesigned by Elsa Urquijo. The company also confirms that Barcelona is a special place for it: the city is home to the headquarters of five of the group’s brands, including Zara itself. Yes, but. Inditex does not plan to replicate this model throughout its network. Roberto Martín, director of Zara in Spain, made it clear that the concept will be reserved for specific locations, always adapted to the city. The bet is risky: Zara has invested more than usual in a store that sells exactly the same as the rest, and at the same price. Between the lines. The project reveals Marta Ortega’s strategy since she became president of Inditex: to distance Zara from the stigma of fast fashion and bring it closer to the territory of fast couture. Van Duysen’s choice is not accidental. Signing a store with an architect of his level is exactly what Chanel, Dior or Louis Vuitton do with Peter Marino. Zara is adopting luxury codes without raising prices. Image: Zara. Image: Zara. Image: Zara. The context. Zara closed the first six months of 2025 with the lowest quarterly growth since the pandemic: its sales rose just 0.89%, the lowest figure in all of Inditex. The brand needs to demonstrate that it can sustain its leadership beyond volume and frenetic product rotation. Barcelona is not the only laboratory. Inditex is expanding its flagship from Plaza Catalunya to turn it into one of the chain’s largest stores in the world, with more than 6,500 square meters. Go deeper. The interior is divided into a dozen rooms, each with its own style, with a maximum of three or four items per reference. The furniture belongs to the collection Zara Home+ by Vincent Van Duysen and it is for sale. On the lower floor there are 16 fitting rooms that from the outside look like closets but inside are cabins with triple mirrors and smart lighting. The alarm signal. If Zara fails to build a sustainable competitive advantage with these boutiquesyou will have wasted resources on an aesthetic experiment that does not move the business. Brands like H&M or Primark compete on price. Luxury brands, in exclusivity and craftsmanship. Zara tries to stay in the middle: affordable prices with premium aspirations. Are boutiques of author are his most visible commitment to demonstrate that this balance is possible. The market will tell if it is. Featured image | Zara In Xataka | Inditex’s digital transformation is already here: it is achieving more and more sales with fewer stores

Spain has never been a land of skyscrapers. Now someone wants to build one for luxury tourists in Malaga

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Malaga is known for the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro or its Cathedral. If Hesperia and the Qatari fund Al Alfia manage to move forward with their plans, in not too long it will also be for another building, one that will also mark their skyline: the Port Tower. The project is not new (it has years on the table) and has generated considerable controversy in the city, but its promoters have just made it clear that they are not giving up: after receiving green light of the Port, the companies that are trying to move it forward have organized an event to share dates, data and investments. Their objective is to demonstrate that they are still committed to building a 144-meter tower in a country, Spain, that stands out for its little hobby by the skyscrapers. What is the Port Tower? A megaproject which has been in the offices of administrations for almost a decade and (above all) generating debate in Malaga. And the “mega” thing is more than justified in this case. At least if we pay attention to the latest data broken down by their promoters. The idea is to build a skyscraper 144 meters high, 59 meters wide and 19 meters wide at the end of the Levante dock, in the middle of the port, near the maritime station where the cruise ships dock. The tower will act as a huge hotel 382 roomsbut its promoters they insist in which it will arrive accompanied by a much more ambitious and useful infrastructure for the city that will cover, in total, 54,000 square meters. “The hotel will be located in a currently depressed area, where there is nothing, and we are going to recover that environment for the city and the citizens,” slide from Hesperia, a fundamental piece in its promotion together with the Qatari fund Al Alfia. Is more information known? Yes. Both about the hotel itself and the urban development that will accompany it. The icing on the cake will be the skyscraper: 144 meters high whose centerpiece will be accommodation focused on the high-net-worth clientele that comes to Malaga. The objective, in fact, is for it to operate as a five-star Grand Luxury hotel and be managed by an international chain (there are already interested parties). Beyond the hotel, the complex will include a 2,500 m2 auditorium, underground parking, a restaurant, a plaza and a 1.3 km boulevard with viewpoints, a bike path, green areas… The development companies in fact calculate that the complex will cover around 54,000 m2. “It is not a speculative project, it will have a return for the developer, but above all for the city because it creates many public spaces,” investors claim in The Opinion of Malaga. How much will it cost? There is talk of an investment of about 200 million eurosalthough initially the figure was quite inferior. This high amount (along with the special status of the land) explains why the promoters insist on the “transformative” and social dimension of the project and the return it will have for Malaga. The reason? To begin with because the promoters they do not rule out qualify for European funds and have support from the administrations. Before even thinking about financing, the project must nevertheless get its future cleared by the Council of Ministers, for which it is key that its public utility be demonstrated. Why is it news? The initiative is by no means new. A quick search in the newspaper archive arrives to verify that he has been chaining procedures for years, a complex path during which he even changed his star architect: the Valencian José Seguí He moved not long ago to the Londoner David Chipperfielwinner of the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel Prize for architects) in 2023. In recent weeks, however, the tower has been in the news again for two reasons. The first came in October, when the Port Authority gave the green light to the complex and allowed him to move on to the next stop in his processing: the State Ports table. There they must study it in depth before it reaches the Council of Ministers, which must rule on whether the hotel complex fits into the Levante dike. That is, whether or not it authorizes the hotel use of that space. The second reason why the tower is being talked about these days is because its promoters, Hesperia and Al Alfia, have organized an act to emphasize that they are not giving up. In fact, the quote served to explain details of the Chipperfield project and outline the schedule managed by the companies: their objective is to resolve the pending issues “in the medium term” to start the works as early as 2026. According to their estimates, the work will last about three years. Will that be possible? First, the project must overcome certain obstacles. And not all of them have to do with financing. The project needs the green light from the Council of Ministers and Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, since has warned that the Executive will not move until it knows the judicial resolution to the appeals presented by the Defendamos Nuestro Horizonte platform and the Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo, critical of some aspects of the project. They are not the only ones. ICOMOS, linked to UNESCO, has warned also the landscape impact of the tower. Spain, country of skyscrapers? Although in Spain there are skyscrapers like the Crystal Towerin Madrid, of 249 m, and in Andalusia itself we find the Seville Tower (180.5 m), the truth is that our country does not exactly stand out for its large buildings. Some time ago Skyscrapercenter made a ranking with the nations with the highest number of towers that exceed 150 meters and Spain occupies 32nd place, behind other European countries, such as Germany, France or the United Kingdom. The Malaga tower is a reminder of one of the controversies generated by this type of structures: its impact on the landscape … Read more

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