The agreement was signed by Jordi William Carnes, Mercabarna president and deputy mayor of Barcelona with responsibility for Finance and Economic Promotion; Joan Llonch, president of ASSOCOME (the Mercabarna Concessionaires Association); and Casimiro Llorens and Leandre Serra, presidents of the Fruit and Fish Wholesale Associations, respectively.

Also attending the event were David Chica, vice-president of Mercabarna for Mercasa; Montserrat Gil de Bernabé, managing director of Mercabarna, and numerous representatives from Mercabarna’s business associations.

New Era
From the viewpoint of Mercabarna’s president, the signing of this agreement means that “Mercabarna is beginning a new era of positive change and renewal, now that the businesses are certain of their future within the precinct”.

According to Mr Carnes, “Now that temporal continuity has been ensured, it is time to focus on Mercabarna’s future physical expansion so that businesses that want to grow can do so.”
As the ASSOCOME president observed, “We’ve signed this agreement with true optimism on account of its strategic importance, since it provides us with the elements that enable us to look confidently to the future.”

Mr Llonch went on to say, “Mercabarna is home to us and it has become something more than our businesses. Through this agreement Mercabarna will be even more a part of us and together we can make it greater.”

Both men pointed out the importance a cooperative attitude and ongoing dialogue played in bringing about this agreement, qualities that have always characterised the relationship between Mercabarna and the businesses it houses.

Agreement for the Future
Thanks to this agreement, the new contracts which the different precinct businesses sign with Mercabarna management will be valid for at least 35 years. The document also establishes that any business wishing to continue operating inside the food industry estate, once its contract expires, will have to pay a renewal fee, which Mercabarna will allot to improving and expanding its infrastructures and services.