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Mercadona closes, but Aldi and others open: supermarkets in Barcelona this 11 September
This Friday, 11 September, is a public holiday throughout Catalunya for the Diada, and shopping in Barcelona will require checking opening hours before leaving home. Mercadona will keep its supermarkets closed, but other major chains will have exceptions and, in some cases, two establishments of the same brand will operate differently.
The key is that there is no single timetable for all supermarkets in Barcelona. Part of the city lies within the tourist retail opening zone, where certain establishments may open on Sundays and public holidays between 12:00 and 20:00 from 15 May to 15 September. There are also convenience stores, franchises and other formats with their own schedules.
Mercadona will be one of the easiest options to rule out: the chain maintains its usual policy of closing on Sundays and public holidays, and its supermarkets in Catalunya do not plan to open this Friday. Anyone who normally does their shopping there will have to bring it forward to Thursday or wait until Saturday.
Aldi, by contrast, offers a very different picture. Several of its Barcelona shops expressly announce special hours of 12:00 to 20:00 for 11 September. This is the case for establishments in areas such as Sagrada Família, Poblenou, Eixample and Gràcia. Other shops in the same chain, including some outside areas with public-holiday opening, will remain closed.
Carrefour also requires checking the specific address. Its Express formats and some Market supermarkets in Barcelona tend to have more flexibility on public holidays, and some establishments announce that they will open on these days. In central locations, public-holiday hours may run until 20:00 or even continue later at certain Express stores, while other branches will not open.
The situation varies again at Consum and Charter. Some Consum shops will be closed, but others have published special Diada hours. An establishment on Travessera de les Corts, for example, announces opening from 9:00 to 22:00, while a Charter franchise on Gran Via plans to stay open until 23:00. That timetable cannot automatically be applied to the rest of the chain.
Bonpreu presents a much more uniform picture in the city of Barcelona. Various establishments checked on Provença, Pi i Margall, Travessera de Gràcia, Marina, Josep Tarradellas and Gran Via de Carles III show 11 September as closed. Esclat may also change how it operates according to the municipality, so opening outside Barcelona does not mean the same will happen in the city.
Caprabo, Dia, Condis and Lidl have networks in which opening hours may vary according to the establishment, format and location. Convenience and franchised shops are the most likely to open, while others will close for the whole day. It is therefore unwise to assume that a chain is entirely open or closed without first checking the specific shop.
This year the Diada falls on a Friday, meaning that the closure of many supermarkets also coincides with the start of a three-day weekend for many workers. If shopping cannot be done before the public holiday, the safest option will be to look for establishments with confirmed hours in the centre and in areas authorised for tourist opening, and to check again before travelling there.