The meteorological situation affecting various provinces of Andalusia has caused “important incidents” in local commerce, with “numerous establishments forced to temporarily close due to flooding, access and logistics problems in the supply of goods, and communications outages.” … between localities, some of them incommunicado.
As the Andalusian Confederation of Commerce (CAC) has issued in a note, in various municipalities, The streets and accesses have been flooded, hindering economic and commercial activity and “generating considerable losses in small and medium-sized Andalusian trading companies.”
Thus, for example, in Huelva, although the incidence of rain has been minimal, to the adverse meteorological situation with alerts, which in itself produces a reduction in consumption, we must add the effects of unfortunate train accident on January 18. This has meant a “significant decrease” in sales. “Commercial activity is at a minimum,” said the president of the Huelva Trade Federation, Antonio Gemio.
In Cádiz, the most affected province, the overflowing of rivers and accumulations of water have caused flooding in commercial premises, damage to merchandise, deterioration of electrical installations and structural problems in some businesses. Added to this are the difficulties in accessing streets and commercial areas, which has prevented normal opening for several days.
Specifically, CAC has specified the zone zero of the storm in towns in the mountains such as Grazalema, Ubrique, Cortes de la Frontera, Arcos de la Frontera, Prado del Rey or urban areas such as Jerez de la Frontera or Puerto Santa María. Likewise, they have exemplified in this circumstance the difficulties during these days on the AP-4 highway that connects Cádiz with Seville.
For his part, the President of the CAC and the San Fernando Merchants Association (Acosafe), Manuel Luna, has indicated that The situation is “very complicated”since in several municipalities in the province, and in Andalusia, “we have had to close establishments due to flooding or lack of access. “The losses are significant and many merchants are assessing the damage.”
This has had a “significant impact”, especially on small and medium-sized family businesses. In many cases, material damage represents losses that are “difficult to assume” without external support. For this reason, he has insisted that “We ask public administrations the activation of urgent support measures, direct aid and recovery plans that allow affected businesses to resume their activity as soon as possible and minimize the economic impact.”
In Seville, the president of the Provincial Confederation of Commerce, Services and the Self-Employed of Seville and the Province (Aprocom), Tomás González, has pointed out that “as a balance, the commerce of Seville capital has experienced a sharp decline in its sales figuresespecially those who are more dependent on tourism«, while indicating that »so many continuous storms, together with the drop in sales in the autumn-winter campaign, show a very negative balance for the sector«.
In towns like Coria del Río, where the Guadalquivir overflowed, there have been businesses closed when the with the weather alert. The same has happened in Écija with the Genil River, commented the president of the Association of Merchants of Centro Écija (ACCE), David Serrano.
“Although the overflow was in a district area, the red alert meant that many closed and fenced their businesses,” he indicated. The same situation was experienced in Lora del Río with the Guadalquivir, but not so in Cantillana, where the commercial area “is far from the banks of the Guadalquivir River and no businesses have closed.”
Added to the floods are the effects of the suspension of the High Speed Highway
This circumstance does not mean that the intense rains have had very negative consequences on commerce both in terms of influx and sales. to this Added to this is the difficulty of high-speed access to SevilleGonzález pointed out, which shows a considerable decrease in attendance of 35 percent and which is “very worrying for the commercial and tourism sector, also affecting the hotel and hospitality sector directly.”
In Malaga, the president of Comercio Málaga, Lorena García, commented that “in general, the successive weeks of storms and chain storms have meant very low sales, The alert even led to the closure of many businesses on red and orange alert days, and in Benaoján, ground zero of the province, the stores were completely closed.”
In Almería, the president of the Almería Trade Federation, integrated into ASEMPAL, Javier Moya, has reported that “no damage has been reported to the facilities that have forced the closure of the establishments or generated relevant structural problems, at most some leaks.”
Regarding sales, the storm “has had a significant impact”, especially during the most adverse days due to wind, in which there was hardly any commercial activity, with drops of around 80 percent, he added. On less severe days, the reduction was more moderate.
In general terms, it can be stated that the storm has impacted sales, as is usual in this type of situation, especially in non-essential products, “although fortunately without material damage to the commercial premises.”
For her part, Luna wants to convey a message of recognition and gratitude to local businesses, which once again have demonstrated their commitment to citizens. Many establishments that have suffered material damage They have provided direct help to isolated neighbors, “offering essential products, providing supplies and actively collaborating with emergency services.”
“Local commerce is not only an economic engine, it is a social pillar in our neighborhoods and municipalities,” highlighted Luna from the CAC. In times of difficulty, merchants “have acted with responsibility and exemplary solidarity, strengthening the bond with their communities. “This shows that local commerce is much more than an economic activity.”
Trust message
In short, the president of the CAC has reiterated the commitment of the confederation with the affected merchants and with all the residents of the affected areas and conveys a message of confidence to the citizens.
«May they continue to trust local commerce. When the situation normalizes, shopping in our establishments will be key to the economic recovery of our towns and cities. Local commerce is a fundamental pillar of the economy and social life of our municipalities. Its recovery is not only key for the affected businessmen, but also for employment and the revitalization of neighborhoods and urban centers,” he stated.
date: 2026-02-15 04:39:00