Castilla y León promotes retail and rural commerce with 122 million euros

The Commission promotes the Retail and Rural Commerce Strategy of Castilla y León 2024-2027, which has 61 measures distributed across six axes and an investment of more than 122 million, with the aim of responding to the “many challenges” it faces is confronted. trade through the protection and strengthening of this area, which will “revitalize” a strategic sector for the community from both an economic and social point of view.

Precisely, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Leticia García, detailed during the press conference after the Government Council that this strategy defines, plans and coordinates all actions having an impact on the sector commercial and that its preparation responds to the result of the collaboration. from different departments.

This plan contains 61 measures and six axes which involve a global budget which exceeds 122 million During the period of validity until 2027, it was developed with the collaboration of the commercial sector itself and contains a “rigorous” analysis of the area in which the main challenges facing the retail and rural trade are included.

The head of Industry also highlighted that trade is an economic and social driver of “first order” in Castile and León and has a “decisive role” in the field of employment, the settlement of the population and in rural development, reports Ep.

“But at the moment it is facing significant challenges and this strategy aims to respond to these challenges by protecting and strengthening the commercial sector,” analyzed the advisor, while specifying that the document was based on a “rigorous” analysis ” of the sector in which it is located. major issues faced by local retail are included, such as “atomization, poor corporate culture, weak financial capacitylack of generational change and resistance to change.”

According to the advisor, these are “problems that are getting worse” due to new consumption habits and current situations that reduce the ability to spend and that more affect rural areas, where There are 939 municipalities without physical businesses and 556 with only one or two companies dedicated to commercial activity.

The strategic roadmap includes the permanent surveillance of the sector obtain data on the impact of measures undertaken and define mechanisms that detect developments and initiatives that contribute to regenerate and optimize the commerce sector. An institutional statement on its strategic and essential nature is also included.

In this statement, the head of Industry elaborated, trade is recognized as an economic engine and an engine of job creation; Its capacity as a factor of social cohesion is determined, contributing to establishing the population, promoting rural development, improving the quality of life in the environment, promoting social relations and maintaining identity and traditions. In addition, its capacity for innovation, adaptation and environmental sustainability is recognized. Likewise, the framework that designs the strategy to coordinate and guide all the actions of the Junta de Castilla y León to promote trade in the Community is structured around six axes.

Main axes

The first axis of “Protection of retail trade” includes horizontal measures aimed at establishing a legal and institutional framework aimed at protecting retail trade. In this sense, it is planned, on the one hand, the revision of the legal instruments of the organization of the sector, on the other hand, the coordination of the actions which in this matter are carried out by the different institutions, including a strengthen and expand the functions of the Network of Internal Trade Agents, so that they can act in revitalizing and supporting trade in the territory. An investment of 7.6 million is expected in this area.

The second axis, “Training and commercial culture”, has a budget of nearly 12.6 million and includes the permanent updating of the database and the monitoring of support measures. In addition, actions are included aimed both at raising awareness in society as a whole of the importance of the sector and at actions aimed at greater professionalization of the human capital that operates within the sector.

In the area of ​​awareness raising, there are, among others, promotional campaigns, support measures to improve the image of the sector, the establishment of a day dedicated to small local businesses or the holding of annual conferences to analyze the situation in the sector and give it greater visibility.

The third axis which addresses the “Modernization, digitalization and innovation of retail trade” includes measures aimed at promoting the modernization and improvement of the management of commercial establishments and their local services, with firm support for physical commerce and , in parallel, measures to support the integration of new technologies which enable the digitalization of management and marketing systems.

They are considered financial aid intended primarily for SMEs for these modernization processes, as well as incentives for RDI projects that contribute to the revitalization of the sector. The budget allocated to these lines exceeds 15 million euros.

The fourth axis of “Promotion of demand for local retail” considers actions that aim to reactivate commercial demand and promote improvement of the environment, whether rural or urban, in order to promote measures that promote consumption and allow local retail businesses to have a favorable context for the development of their activity.

Departure for rural commerce

The fifth axis of “Promotion of commercial entrepreneurship”, whose planned budget is 7.2 million, focuses on the expression and development of all actions that pursue the renewal of the commercial fabric, in which entrepreneurship is favored, give an important role to generational change.

Finally, the sixth axis of the “Specific plan to support rural trade” envisages the development of a specific plan to support rural trade, with a budget of more than 22.7 million eurosand whose ultimate objective is to halt the loss of commercial activity in rural areas.

Data analysis corroborated decline in commercial activity in rural areas, a decline closely linked to demographic change and which has much less impact in regional capitals, tourist areas and the surroundings of large cities.