Cartagena (Murcia), 24 (Europa Press)
El presidente de la Federación de Comercios de la Región de Mercia (Coremur), Juan Francisco Castillo, presentó ante la Comisión de Estudio Especial del pequeño comercio en la Asamblea Regional para presentar los principales desafíos que enfrentan el comercio local.
Castillo advirtió que «la digitalización y la modernización son los mayores desafíos del pequeño comercio» y ha pedido a las instituciones que creen «un plan de digitalización profesional y un entorno favorable» que le permita desarrollar.
During his speech, Castillo stated that «local commerce is not dying, but it needs real support and appropriate conditions to adapt to the new times.»
In this sense, he demanded a digitalization strategy based on individual tutoring, rather than generic sessions, as a more effective formula to train traders in the online field: «There are businesses that do not have a digital presence and others, but do not know how to manage it.»
The Coremur president focused on the need to provide practical training oriented towards daily business management and not just for obtaining titles: «Training based on a title is useless if it does not translate into real results for the trader.»
He also proposed to prepare a detailed commercial map of each municipality to detect entrepreneurship opportunities and denounced the progressive abandonment of urban centers: «The commercial offering is moving to cheaper areas, leaving historic downtowns full of closed and painted premises.»
Castillo also requested municipalities, which he defined as «the institution closest to the citizen,» to promote awareness and promotion campaigns through their social networks: «With very little budget, you can organize fairs, exhibitions, and promotional activities, but with institutional support.»
He also intervened in the commission of María José Navaro Rodríguez, vice president and treasurer of the Regional Union of Merchants in Lorca, who defended the fundamental role of merchant associations during the pandemic and called for more resources to professionalize their activity.
«Today, being self-employed in Spain is like fighting windmills every day,» he said, referring to the regulatory complexity, bureaucratic task, and the numerous legal obligations faced by small traders: «Data protection, packaging, checklists… all these costs must be assumed in advance.»
Navarro emphasized that small commerce also takes on a great deal of work while facing the shortage of skilled professionals.
«The merchant must be multitasking and also compete with large online platforms that allow us to return used products without justification, which is an unfair competition,» he lamented.
He also emphasized that the demand for environmental and sustainability measures adds to the pressure already existing in the sector. «By 2025, bureaucracy, taxes, and digitalization will make the company in small retail commerce an even greater challenge. The administration should simplify these processes to promote business creation, not wait for the small entrepreneur.»
Among the high proposals to strengthen the business fabric, he defended the need to implement awareness actions to bring the value of local commerce to young people and children, through discussions in schools.
He also called for a stable institutional campaign that promotes buying from local proximity commerce, providing visibility to its value chain and the positive impact it has on the urban environment.
Navarro also demanded a greater professionalization of merchant associations, which implies a larger budgetary team and the possibility of hiring qualified personnel to manage their daily activities.
Finally, he called for an increase in the regional budget allocated to support and professionalize small commerce, offering more resources to face current challenges.
Grupos parlamentarios
From the parliamentary groups, the socialists Manuel Sevilla and María Soledad Sánchez acknowledged that «local commerce has many opportunities, but also faces significant challenges.»
They recalled that to implement measures such as high «resources and budgets» and have ensured that PSO will act as a «facilitation tool,» so that these elements are considered in the regional budgets.
From Vox, Deputy Ignacio Arcas focused on the state of the urban area of Lorca, mentioning that «there is a great abandonment, with empty spaces that could be used, given the urgency of housing.»
He also denounced the fiscal pressure suffered by merchants and the «excessive bureaucracy» of local administrations, which hinders the opening of new businesses.
From Podemos, Deputy Víctor Egío questioned that the revitalization of urban centers is the key to the problem: «The Murcia Center is completely rehabilitated, but commerce in streets like Traper or Silverware does not follow.»
He proposed to create a regional online commercial platform, although he recognized that it would require a lot of effort and planning. He also warned that high rents are one of the factors affecting small shops.
Finally, from PP, both Deputy Josefa Carreño and Isabel María Sánchez emphasized the importance of strengthening the relationship between stores and consumers through educational and promotional campaigns.
They also detailed the importance of local proximity commerce because «it is capable of settling the population, offering personalized and differentiated treatment, and providing quality products.»
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