Mercalicante Expands with 20,000 m²

Mercalicante's board of directors, chaired by Mayor Luis Barcala, announced on Wednesday the expansion process of the agri-food cluster. The municipal government decided on the 1st of the month to reject objections and approve the expropriation of adjacent land, acquiring 19,500 square meters for 3.2 million euros. This operation is crucial for expanding Mercalicante to the east of the current facilities on the Madrid road, funded by both partners of the agri-food unit, the Alicante City Council and the state-owned company Mercasa.

With this expansion, Mercalicante aims to solidify its role as a key infrastructure for the province's agri-food sector, addressing the growing demand for space from current and future operators. "The incorporation of new land will accommodate more business activity, promote investment, and contribute to the development of a more competitive, efficient, and environmentally friendly economic model," highlighted Barcala.

Meanwhile, Mercalicante's general director, Dolores Mejía, explained that phase I of the expansion "is designed to address the current high occupancy of the site, which reaches 90%, and to meet the needs of operators requiring more space as well as new companies wishing to establish themselves in the cluster. This new area will be key to strengthening our business ecosystem's competitiveness, generating more value for the province, and consolidating our leadership in the sector."

During the council meeting, it was also approved to apply for Mercalicante's membership as an associated company in the Confederación Empresarial de la Comunidad Valenciana (CEV). With this initiative, the agri-food cluster seeks to strengthen its ties with the business fabric of the Community and actively participate in economic dialogue and representation forums, thus reinforcing its commitment to sector development and the promotion of new collaboration and innovation opportunities.