Although it cannot reach the figures of the tourism and shoe industry, Christmas remains as one of the state’s biggest economic engines Alicante. No matter how much fashion changes and new traditions emerge, the consumption of the typical desserts of these holidays (head nougat), the gifting of Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men to the little ones, or the tradition of twelve grapes for the New Year remain intact on New Year’s Eve. industrial and agri-food networkplayed in this campaign near 900 million euros. Or the same thing, almost two-thirds of the annual turnover according to estimates of different industry organizations.
Some activities that create results as a whole about 27,000 jobs According to the same sources, both directly and with incentives in the province throughout the year.
Among those most at risk in the final months of the year are candy producers grouped in the Valencian Community Nougat, Derivatives and Chocolate Manufacturers Association, whose epicenter is Xixona. Only companies that are part of this organization contribute Annual turnover is approximately 800 million According to its president, more than 60% of this (about 480 million) is due to the euro in the last months of the year. José Manuel Sirvent.
A temporary concentration that persists despite the industry making significant efforts to seasonally adjust its sales and betting on sales every time More emphasis on chocolate products in their catalogues; raise export to other countries where nougat is seen not only as a Christmas dessert but as a “Spanish gourmet product that is part of the Mediterranean diet”; or by opening Tourism-oriented specialty stores.
The organisation’s forecasts point to a 5% to 6% increase in turnover this year; This increase in sales will be due mostly to the price increases that manufacturers have to reflect, given the increasing energy costs. and raw materials.
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Sirvent warns that the increases are not over yet because the prices in this campaign do not yet reflect the prices. increased cost of poopor the last few months The price increased from around 1,800 pounds (about 2,079 euros) per metric ton to around 4,000 pounds (4,620 euros). In total, companies in the sector employ more than 100 people 2,500 workers.
Another sector that survives Christmas, despite efforts to expand its sales to other times of the year, is the toys featured in this campaign. Concentrates 62% of its turnoverAccording to figures provided by the director general of the Spanish Toy Manufacturers Association, José Antonio Pastor.
The turnover of companies in the province of Alicante is approx. 640 million euros, a total of 1,700 million units carried by the industry across Spain last year. If the weight of Christmas is taken into account in these figures, this means that gifts for the coming dates represent an income of close to 400 million euros.
In this case, the final balance of the year is not at all clear because the last two weeks of the campaign are crucial. The truth is that the industry is not at its best. Inflation and loss of purchasing power in Europe They slowed exports and sales in the domestic market fell around 2% by November. The good news is that “cWith the arrival of December, sales seem to have revived. and the numbers seem to be increasing,” says Pastor, who considers closing the campaign by repeating 2022 data “considering the situation” a “great success.”
In this case, Alicante toy stores are occupied approximately 2,000 direct employees, We should add to this More than 10,000 jobs created It produces toys based on orders placed with plastic manufacturers in the region where parts production is subcontracted.
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For its part, production Bagged table grapes from Vinalopó acceptance of the definition of origin worth 22.5 million eurosAccording to the information provided by the DO director, Beatriz Rocamora, who still does not dare to guess the outcome of this exercise. “Last year there was production but the market was not good, this year the demand is more but the production has decreased,” he explains.
In this sense, Asaja’s sector manager, José Enrique SanchezHe pointed out that in addition to the losses experienced due to pests and rains in May, the demand for exceptional products in November increased prices. «The imported product did not arrive until the beginning of December and in Italy the harvest finished earlier, so we find ourselves in a difficult situation. the whole European market for us» he states.
The combination of these factors resulted in the price of grapes leaving warehouses being paid around three euros, compared to two euros last year. The consumer price is around 4.5 euros, compared to last year’s range of 2.4 to 2.9 euros. In this case, DO calculations speak approximately 13,000 jobs during the year, In the different tasks involved in this crop, which individually packages the bunches on the vines to protect them during the summer months.