New initiative hopes to help small businesses reach commercial centres

As the commercial infrastructure of town and cities evolves, there has been an increase in commercial centres throughout Spain, often at the detriment to the high street, but with other benefits, but as units in commercial centres are prime locations, it has been almost impossible for small or start-up businesses to find a foothold, having to resort to traditional locations, but that might all soon change thanks to a new initiative that hopes to make it easier for small businesses to move into commercial centres.

The multinational Carmila company, which is the third largest owner of shopping centres in Europe, with more than 200 large stores spread across France, Italy and Spain, has proposed to bridge the gap by promoting and training self-employed workers so that they can establish their businesses on their surfaces.

The firm has launched an initiative called Sale Up, within its Carmila Innovation Hub program, aimed at incubating and assisting, during all phases of its implementation, different business projects of the self-employed in its shopping centres, in collaboration with the Madrid Chamber of Commerce. Drawing on its extensive commercial real estate portfolio, which totals a gross leasable area (GLA) of close to 500,000 square metres.

The initiative is intended to provide entrepreneurs with a budding commercial project that appears to be profitable with the necessary training in those areas in which the self-employed person has less knowledge, advice for carrying out procedures and administrative procedures, and support in marketing for the dissemination of the business, among others.

The company highlighted the advantages for the self-employed, first of all, their experience in managing this type of business, which it makes available to those entrepreneurs interested in this project. To which is added the one owned by the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, an ally in Sale Up for issues related to training and advice. And what is more important, all of this is put into practice, since Carmila offers facilities for the implementation of this type of commercial projects through pop-up formats, that is, with flexible durations until a minimum viability is demonstrated.

“At the moment, having our headquarters in Madrid, and being the first edition of the program, we have considered it important that there be a meeting space, like those in our newly opened offices, where participants can work, exchange ideas and be close to our team to face the different challenges that entrepreneurship poses,” Luis de Llera, director of Commercial Innovation at Carmila, explained. “But once its potential has been demonstrated, our intention is to extend the program throughout the other 32 provinces where we have a presence; “the same as the collaboration with other territorial chambers of commerce in other parts of our geography.”

The program does not yet have a fixed budget, because it will depend on the number of projects presented, but there is also no fixed number of initiatives to support. “It is an initiative with which we intend to promote new ideas and projects to boost physical commerce and contribute to economic growth. Carrying out the Carmila Innovation Hub project, and specifically the Sale Up program, allows us, first of all, to promote an entrepreneurial culture and provide a favourable environment for the development of new businesses. Although also detecting and developing new talents and giving a real opportunity to start a business to people who have true motivation and desire.” Finally, the manager points out, it is a way to find “new concepts that are those that, in the end, will mark the future of commerce in our country.”

Sale Up is aimed at entrepreneurs with a business idea or a project already in operation in the initial phase, and will give access to a training, training, advice and support plan for these retail projects, helping entrepreneurs to face and overcome successfully the challenges of physical commerce. “We seek to provide participants with the training and tools necessary to develop their commercial projects,” said Carmila’s Director of Commercial Innovation.

And, according to him, many entrepreneurs lack specialised training in the sector. “And that has motivated us to try to fill this gap with very specific content, such as finance highly applied to small businesses, omnichannel marketing and sales strategies, or technologies and digital transformation of commerce. Hence the importance of a partner like the Madrid Chamber of Commerce.”

Once the training is completed, the program continues with personalised mentoring for advice and help aimed at improving each business plan. “All those viable projects that complete the first phase will be assigned a Carmila mentor, who will provide them with personalised advice to complete and improve the business plan devised by each of them,” continued Luis de Llera. “In addition, this expert will provide continuous monitoring to further accompany future entrepreneurs.”

And in a later phase, those responsible for the Carmila Innovation Hub commit to supporting entrepreneurs in the search for the most appropriate financing for their project, either through investors or through microcredits.

Finally, the launch of the businesses that reach the final phase will be carried out through a proof of concept, in one of the commercial spaces of the 75 centres and large stores that Carmila currently manages throughout Spain.

Throughout the different phases of the program, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy the collaborative space and a good part of the facilities at the company’s headquarters, “providing them with an environment conducive to the exchange of ideas and experiences,” as well as access to the Carmila Retail Academy. “For specialised training that strengthens skills and knowledge, from retail experts, who know first-hand the trends that will prevail in the coming years,” they explained. And even to participate in exclusive events organised by the company in its large commercial areas.

Upon completion of this program, which is divided into eight modules, Sale Up offers other facilities so that the launch of the projects is as successful as possible: launch through pop-up commercial spaces, with flexible durations, help with those procedures and administrative procedures inherent to any launch, marketing plans for the correct dissemination of the projects and support in your omnichannel plan with the corresponding digital support.

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