Second phase for Alicante: from a retail hub to a vibrant business city
Following the success of Panoramis, Carrefour Real Estate advanced plans to convert the Alicante Gate facilities into a comprehensive business city. This transformation blends office spaces, service areas, and a versatile events and conventions zone, an initiative developed with the support of the Alicante City Council to help shape the project and make the relocation possible.
The transformation is led by Custom Suits, headed by Javier Reina, the same team responsible for the Panoramis project. When fully operational, the complex is projected to accommodate up to 1,800 workers, injecting life into the entire area. Construction is slated to begin by the end of the coming year, with offices expected to be ready for full occupancy and delivery in the first quarter of the following year.
The Puerta de Alicante facade anchors a site of approximately 22,000 square meters of Gross Leasable Area. About 10,900 square meters will be dedicated to retail uses, 7,500 square meters to flexible offices and coworking spaces, and 3,500 square meters to food and beverage offerings. The redevelopment includes new services such as children’s playrooms and a gym, while cinemas, a Carrefour hypermarket, and an extensive car park remain integral to the complex.
In evaluating more than 70 market assets last year, the team chose Alicante to launch the first national project of its kind, a “work city” concept that aligns with the city’s growth trajectory and its appeal to foreign companies seeking a convenient base for offices in the region.
New Panoramis: a 12 million euro plan to convert the complex into an international business and service hub
Puerta de Alicante Work City will house offices and coworking spaces within a city-scale complex. The project aims to replicate a genuine urban center, complete with markets, restaurants, game rooms, a gym, cinema, shops, and office clusters. The space will unfold as an urban fabric of streets and squares lined with modern furniture, trees, and greenery, designed to mirror Alicante’s most iconic districts. The interior design will evoke Paseo de la Explanada, Portal de Elche, Rambla Méndez Núñez, and Alfonso X, symbolically representing El Sabio and Maisonnave streets.
Carrefour Property’s decision signals a restart of a sector that has trimmed offerings in recent years, despite various revival attempts. In 2017 Carrefour’s real estate arm took ownership of the complex, having previously been managed by the French administrator Klépierre, with the aim of reforming and revitalizing the facilities. Those efforts did not bear fruit at the time, but the current strategy reflects a broader shift in the use of shopping-center assets toward office and mixed-use models, driven by the rise of technology firms seeking new office spaces in a tighter market.
Lola Banon, Carrefour Property Spain’s general manager, described the project as a paradigm shift in Spain’s shopping-center industry. It marks the first large-scale project to adopt the new “working city” concept, integrating new uses and services while enhancing value for retailers and delivering a disruptive experience for consumers and society.
Social reactivation
The mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, welcomed the project and highlighted its potential environmental and social benefits. He emphasized that the initiative will spur economic activity and labor opportunities across Benalúa, La Florida, San Gabriel, Babel, and surrounding neighborhoods where some 55,000 residents live. The collaboration with the Alicante Investment Attraction Office (Alia) aligns with the city’s broader Futura strategy to attract networking and technology-driven companies, contributing to a balanced growth across districts.
In addition to Puerta de Alicante, other digital and logistics initiatives in the region include the Ciudad de la Luz digital zone and the port projects, which echo a national trend toward transforming shopping centers into mixed-use hubs. Private initiatives, such as those led by local entrepreneurs, also contribute to this evolving landscape.
Carrefour Real Estate, the real estate arm of the French group, manages a portfolio totaling hundreds of centers and millions of square meters of leaseable space. Alongside this, Custom Suits specializes in transforming offices into flexible, value-added spaces and already manages substantial leasable areas in Spain. Its focus remains on creating value in unique assets in secondary cities like Alicante and nearby metropolises, evolving from traditional coworking toward hybrid office models that bundle services and opportunities for tenants.
Overall, the Alicante project signals a shift in how we think about retail spaces: they can evolve into living, working environments that blend commerce, services, and community life in ways that benefit residents, businesses, and the city as a whole. This coordinated effort reflects broader trends toward urban redevelopment that emphasizes connectivity, sustainability, and economic resilience.