Barcelona named 2026 European Capital of Local Retail

Barcelona has been chosen as the 2026 European Capital of Local Retail as part of the European Capitals of Small Retail Awards.

The award was presented on Wednesday evening in Brussels. 

The Catalan capital's candidacy beat those of Utrecht (Netherlands) and Zaragoza (Spain). 

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni stressed the city council's determination to establish a "formal recognition" of neighborhood commerce as a defining feature of the "European way of life."

"I am very proud," he told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). "This model, which is not present in Asia or America, brings neighborhoods to life, generates prosperity, structures communitary life and makes them safer."

The city’s main local commerce association, Barcelona Comerç, was the driving force behind the initiative that led the European Union to create the award in 2022.

Their president, Pròsper Puig, welcomed the win, saying it "emphasizes local retail’s role as both an economic and social force that brings neighborhoods together."

The initiative started in 2019 with the aim of placing local retail at the center of European urban policies.

Barcelona will hold the European Capital of Local Commerce title in the category of ‘Visionary Cities,’ for cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants, until January 2027.