Immediate closures after multi-agency inspection

On Thursday 29 October 2026, Barcelona City Council conducted a coordinated inspection of 23 24-hour supermarkets in the Gràcia district, resulting in the immediate closure of 11 establishments. The action was taken due to serious safety and hygiene violations, including unauthorised manipulation of electrical installations in nine stores and confirmed pest infestations in three. The operation, part of the city's ongoing "Pla endreça" (Clean-up Plan), involved around 100 personnel from municipal departments, police, and technicians from Endesa. It targeted stores with self-service, fruit and vegetable, and general food retail licences.

242 violations uncovered

  • 99 violations related to trading licences
  • 52 breaches of urban landscape regulations
  • 23 public health violations
  • 23 waste management failures
  • 15 municipal tax irregularities
  • 15 state tax irregularities
  • 10 breaches of waste treatment rules
  • 5 public space occupation violations

These findings were confirmed by Laia Bonet, first deputy mayor and councillor for Gràcia, who described the closure of nearly half the inspected stores as "a very significant figure". She stated the results demonstrate that the rapid spread of 24-hour supermarkets in recent years has been accompanied by widespread non-compliance with regulations.

City-wide enforcement since 2023

Since November 2023, the City Council has inspected 682 such supermarkets across Barcelona, including in Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Nou Barris, and Sant Martí. During these operations, authorities have identified 5,097 violations and imposed 110 precautionary measures, including temporary seizures and sealings. The crackdown forms part of a broader policy by Mayor Jaume Collboni's administration to limit the proliferation of 24-hour stores, which now number approximately 1,300 across the city. In May 2026, the council suspended the granting of new licences for these establishments and self-service stores for one year to assess their impact on residential life and public space.

These joint interventions are yielding very good results,

, Laia Bonet, first deputy mayor and councillor for Gràcia The City Council continues to enforce regulations under the framework of Act 18/2017 on commerce, services and fairs, as implemented locally through municipal ordinances and trading hours policies, which can be reviewed on the official trading hours page.

Sources: betevé, Ajuntament de Barcelona.