Costa Blanca
Ale-Hop is getting ready to expand internationally

While Ale-Hop is based in Dénia, its main office is now in the province of Valencia. The company is looking at many countries with the goal of settling down with its famous cow in the near future by opening new stores and starting new businesses in the countries where it came from, using the group’s current structure to its advantage. In 2024, the Clave Dénia company was accepted as a member of the Forum of Renowned Spanish Brands (FMRE) as a brand with high international potential. This “solidified its commitment to excellence and strengthened the image of Spain in the international market.” Ale-Hop is getting ready to reach new goals and horizons in the international arena. It is continuing to strengthen its place in the national market and is also starting to sell its products in international markets like Portugal, Croatia, and Italy.
The business group’s sales rose by 31% to 224 million in 2023, the most recent available financial year, and it had more than 300 places of sale, bringing them back to levels seen before the pandemic. Besides that, the business made a net profit of 41 million euros. That being said, the group’s tax payment, which was 61 million euros in 2023, also stands out. In the same year, the first Mondo Vesta store opened. It was 1,600 square meters and sold “furniture, decoration items, gifts, household goods, home goods, as well as perfumery and cosmetics items.” This was made possible by the creation of a new company through a holding company.
The goal for them was to keep opening more stores all the way through 2024. They brought their famous cow to Italy “in search of new pastures” with an Italian company in the group. This helped other projects outside of Italy. The Italian store had a good first year, but they were “satisfied with the turnover, although we need to continue learning and improving in different fields.”
Any way you look at it, not having to depend on banks gives them the freedom to grow and make investments without having to borrow money. The group also planned to put more money into solar energy in 2024 through the Grimalt Obras y Servicios company. They also planned to open 25 to 30 new stores, which would be run by one of the group’s companies based on where they were located.
Getting bigger in the province of Valencia
A lack of land for supplies caused the Grimalt family to move from Dénia to Bellreguard. Since then, the family has been growing in the province of Valencia. Indeed, they have already talked about the “Activa Safor” project, which will give the Ale-Hop group a place to store goods, work, and do study for their business. A deal was made between Grimalt Patrimonial (Ale-Hop) and the town councils of Gandia and Bellreguard in Valencia to study, run, and grow this long-term strategic investment project. So, it would include setting up and advertising a transportation platform, offices, and an R&D&I centre for Grimalt Patrimonial’s business activities at the point where the municipalities of Gandia and Bellreguard meet.
The Ale-hop company is building a strong, smart and long-lasting base to become a consolidated international giant. Its fourth storage centre, which is in the El Brosquil industrial estate in Oliva, fits into this picture. It adds the ones that are already there in Bellreguard, Ondara, and Pedreguer. It can be reached from the N-332, the Pego road, and the AP-7 link. All of them, mostly in La Safor and Marina Alta. The company finished building the warehouse last year. It covers 17,800 square meters, has 13 loading and unloading docks, and can hold 31,000 boxes. The warehouse is on a 30,000-square-meter plot of land.
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Costa Blanca
Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.
The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.
María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.
María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.
Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “
The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.
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Costa Blanca
Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.
Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.
The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.
Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.
H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.
The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.
The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.
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Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.
The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.
Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.
The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.
Fire extinguishers were recovered
Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.
The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.
The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.
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