El Triangle Commercial Centre in Barcelona Faces Delays, MediaMarkt Opening Pushed to Late 2026 or Early 2027
Barcelona, January 9 – The ambitious reinvention of El Triangle commercial centre in Barcelona, located at Plaça Catalunya, is facing significant delays. Six months after the relocation of FNAC, the majority of the centre’s facilities remain closed to the public. The highly anticipated opening of MediaMarkt, which was initially planned for this summer, has been postponed to late 2026 or early 2027, as confirmed by the company.
Unforeseen Challenges and Redesigns
The commercial centre, owned by the German real estate fund Deka, had planned a major restructuring to replace FNAC with a large bazaar spanning 8,320 square metres. This involved merging up to nine retail units and occupying nearly two-thirds of the building’s commercial area. However, the original plan has not materialised as intended.
According to Deka’s documentation submitted to the city council, the initial redesign was driven by the interest of a specific company that ultimately did not proceed with its plans to establish itself in El Triangle. This unforeseen withdrawal necessitated a complete re-evaluation of the project, leading to the current delays.
New Configuration and Construction Works
The revised plan now proposes dividing the previously conceived macro-store into three separate commercial units. Additionally, another retail space will be narrowed, and the existing vestibules will be removed to expand the commercial area up to the entrance. The centre will also undergo a reorganisation of its routes and access points, without expanding the building’s overall footprint. The offices within the centre will be eliminated, and there are plans to convert part of a subterranean floor into a car park.
The four new stores resulting from this redesign will collectively offer 952 square metres less of exhibition and sales space compared to the original plan. Deka estimates the interior renovation of El Triangle will cost six million euros. The fund projects annual rental income for the two largest establishments to be between 2.73 million and 4.30 million euros. MediaMarkt, for its part, is investing 7.5 million euros in setting up and equipping its new store.
MediaMarkt’s Commitment and Scope
MediaMarkt will occupy the largest of the new retail spaces, covering 5,370 square metres accessible to customers. This represents 50.9% of El Triangle’s commercial floor area, an increase of 816 square metres compared to the former FNAC store. However, it is 2,118 square metres less than initially planned for the grand bazaar concept of 2023.
Despite the delays, MediaMarkt has reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a presence in Plaça Catalunya. The company acknowledges the “complexity” of adapting the space, which requires both major and minor construction works. They anticipate the opening to occur “at the end of 2026 or in the first part of 2027.”
Regulatory Approvals and Future Prospects
The city council has granted a major works license for the replacement of skylights on the third floor and received requests for two additional permits in December for interior renovations. The commercial license for the centre is under the jurisdiction of the Generalitat, and further authorisations will be required for any changes in the activities of the individual retail units.
The Barcelona city government, under Mayor Jaume Collboni, initially approved the modification of the reform proposal this past December, at Deka’s request. The real estate firm’s documentation to the city council indicates that the proposed change aims to “reorganize the space currently occupied by a single very large unit, dividing it into three units of different sizes and adjusting the configuration of a fourth.”
The 8,320 square metre unit will thus be divided into a 6,656 square metre store, another of 1,471 square metres, and a third, combining two smaller units, to create a 63 square metre space. The size of the first unit aligns with the more than 6,500 square metres that MediaMarkt announced last July it would occupy in El Triangle. Additionally, an existing store will be reduced from 126 to 108 square metres due to the reconfiguration of an emergency exit.
CBRE, the property manager, has not disclosed the types of businesses that will occupy the other three retail spaces, apart from MediaMarkt.
The ongoing works and the revised plans underscore the intricate nature of large-scale commercial developments in prime urban locations. The extended timeline for El Triangle’s transformation highlights the challenges associated with adapting historical commercial spaces to modern retail demands and navigating complex regulatory frameworks.
Source: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/barcelona/20260109/barcelona-tiendas-plaza-catalunya-centro-comercial-triangle-mediamarkt-125497522
