The City Council allocates 600,000 euros for subsidies to local businesses

Financing actions aimed at revitalizing local commerce, training, promoting associations in the sector and consolidating the image of the city of Madrid as a shopping destination is the objective of the 2019 Call for Grants from the Directorate of Commerce and Entrepreneurship , approved today, Thursday, January 17, by the Governing Board of the Madrid City Council for an amount of 600,000 euros, 16 % more than in the last call and 50 % higher than the budgeted amount in 2015.

The beneficiaries are non-profit associations, constituted mainly by entrepreneurs from the commercial and hospitality sector.

The following categories have been established based on the type of action or eligible project: preparation of commercial action studies; communication and/or advertising actions aimed at promoting the sector or commercial areas; expenses for the establishment and operation of associations less than two years old, and expenses for training activities carried out through the School of Commerce of the Madrid City Council or in other units associated with the training activity of the center.

The period of execution of the projects, except the one referring to constitution expenses, will be from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019.

Economic, social and environmental benefit

This line of aid has a direct impact on the economic, social and environmental aspects of the local commercial sector in the city of Madrid.

• Economically improves the competitiveness of the local commerce sector and the positioning of Madrid as a shopping destination. It also directly affects the ability to attract investment for the opening of commercial premises and hotels, thanks to the revitalization and consolidation of commercial areas, and favors the creation of employment and wealth, influencing the recovery of jobs.
• Socially, promotes shopping areas as elements of centrality and improvement of perceived security due to the increase in activity in these locations.
• environmentally, central commercial axes are recovered, in addition to expanding and diversifying the supply of products and services in the city's commercial axes, reducing the number of trips necessary to satisfy citizen demand.

balance sheet

In 2018, close to 460,000 euros were awarded in subsidies to 35 projects, from 34 merchant associations, to encourage commercial demand and promote a more competitive image.

Among the projects presented are those of recently created merchant associations, such as the following: La Arroba Unión Cultural de Comerciantes y Usuarios, Merchants and Professionals from Plaza de Antonio Cumella, Merchants from Calle Santa Ana, Merchants Redescubre Vicálvaro and Friends of the IV Centenary of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.

These data are but the latest milestone in a subsidy line that since 2015 has financed a total of 106 different commercial revitalization projects that have served to boost commerce throughout the city.

Area of Central Madrid

This is one of the main ways to promote commercial activity in the city in general and in the area of Central Madrid, in particular, continuing the trajectory of previous calls.

In this area, 64 revitalization activities, campaigns and events have been promoted, in collaboration with associations such as the Business Association of the Textile and Accessories Trade of the Community of Madrid (ACOTEX), the Association of Fashion Creators of Spain (ACME), the Centennial Restaurants Association of Madrid, the Hotel Business Association of Madrid, the Association of Friends of the IV Centenary of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, the Association of Merchants, Self-Employed and Small Businesses of the Barrio de las Letras or the Association of Merchants of Malasaña \» Long live Malasaña”.

Initiatives such as the Salesas Village Festival, the Mercado de las Ranas, Madrid Hotel Week, Tapapiés or DecorAcción have been consolidated.

In the case of informative actions, communication and/or advertising works aimed at promoting the sector or commercial areas will be taken into account, provided that they are accompanied by a prior media communication study.

Likewise, the aid will be allocated to the development of fairs and similar events aimed at promoting a commercial area, encouraging consumption or disseminating the image of the city of Madrid as a shopping destination; carrying out promotional campaigns whose purpose is to promote direct sales, retain and attract consumers; and the preparation or constitution of Entrepreneurial Initiative Zones.