IT is the end of an era for shoppers as one of the oldest and best known hypermarkets on the Costa del Sol closes its doors.

Euromarket, also known originally as HiperEuropa, on the boundary of Fuengirola and Mijas Costa, was once one of the most popular and largest hypermarkets in the region. But now it has new owners, and it is expected to be re-opened under a new name.

Dating back to the early 80s it was at one time the only option for expats in the area wanting to relive their UK-style shopping experience. It was part of the Cayetano supermarket chain, which still has stores in Fuengirola.

Expatriate, Jim Andrews, who has lived in Fuengirola since 1994, said: “Everyone shopped there back then. Apart from Euromarket there were just smaller supermarkets in town. There was no Eroski or Hipercor. There was no La Cañada in Marbella, or Miramar centre. It was the only show in town.”

But this week shelves were emptying as the owners ran down stocks ready for its closure.

A staff member said the store would be closed for two or three months for refurbishment. She did not know for sure who the new owners were, but, she said, it is rumoured to be French supermarket giants Carrefour.

IN June, the Foreign Residents’ Department in Fuengirola will launch a municipal bulletin in English in collaboration with Euro Weekly News.

It will be sent to all registered foreign residents of the town who request it via e-mail. Everyone on the council’s database will be informed of the possibility of receiving it, the councillor, Katia Westerdahl, said during a press conference.

It will be free for citizens and will not cost the town hall anything. 

Euro Weekly News will translate the local press releases of interest to foreign residents, and design the monthly bulletin. The aim is to provide residents with local information of interest. 

Anyone who does not wish to receive it can remove themselves from the mailing listby the emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The land around the Palacio de Congresos in Torremolinos will house the Dinosaur Park this summer.

During the months of July, August and September the exhibition of dinosaurs will open to members of the public who will be able to experience this display of life-size models of dinosaurs and learn how they lived and what they ate.

Some models are over 12 metres in height and are mechanical so they move and make realistic sounds. The exhibition has already been a great success in Europe and other parts of Spain.

A NEW four-star hotel is central to a €14 million plan to restore the once famous Baños del Carmen coastal area in Malaga to its former glory.

Following decades of failed proposals to improve the appearance of the area and rid it of vagrants, the current owners, companies Vera and Acha, have suggested that they be allowed to open and manage a 120-room five storey hotel in exchange for totally restoring the area.

The Baños del Carmen were originally a seaside resort for the upper class built in 1918.

Initial reports suggest both the city hall and coastal department approve of the outlined investment plan which could get the thumbs up by September, although there are fears that Malaga’s insistence to take the Metro underground could delay works due to lack of funding. 

Meanwhile, The Ronda and Nerja Paradors have been revealed as the most profitable of the five properties run by the state run hotel group throughout Malaga Province, according to the Official Cabinet Bulletin.

The Ronda property is the second most profitable Parador throughout Spain, with profits last year of €1.6 million, beaten only by Granada. Nerja Parador also made more than €1 million, while the Gibralfaro Parador in Malaga city, made €300,000. 

However, the one in Antequera lost almost €500,000 last year, in its sixth unprofitable year, and Malaga Golf lost more than €565,000 with no profits since 2007.

'...A few months ago, while on holiday in Spain I had to drive to a radio station in Marbella to record some alterations to a TV advertising voice-over. While I was there, I happened to pick up one of the many English-language newspapers that serve the Costa del Sol - The Euro Weekly News - in which I found a column that made my heart skip. It was written by a man called Leapy Lee, who had a hit in 1968 with a song called "Little Arrows," and who was later sent to prison following a fight in a pub which also involved an actor called Alan Lake (husband of the Fifties' starlet Diana Dors).
Yes, that's my idea of the perfect columnist, some minor expat singer with a criminal record and views tailor-made for his audience of drink-sozzled, golf-playing Costa Brits. Sure enough, Leapy didn't let me down. His column employs a folksy, jaunty style, laced with references to his "dear old mum" and his idyllic Essex childhood to express his ludicrously reactionary views on Iran's possession of nuclear weapons, asylum seekers to the UK, Jihadist terrorists who are "nothing more than dog's droppings in the swimming pool of decent humanity" and the general state of the world. As my dear old mum would say, you can keep your Aaronovitches, your Melanie Phillipses and your Rees Moggs - it's Leapy Lee for me'.
(Alexei Sayle in The Independent. September 2006). Heh!

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/alexei-sayle-the-world-according-to-me-414250.html

THE contract to extend the Port of Marbella has been terminated. The Ministry of Works and Housing, operating through the Andalucian Ports Authority, has initiated proceedings to terminate the public works concession intended to extend Marbella’s La Bajadilla port. 

The decision to end the joint-venture agreement between Qatari Sheik Al Thani, the owner of Malaga Football Club; Marbella City Council; and the Marbella Port Authority, was taken “after the failure of the contractors, Nasir Bin Abdullah & Sons SL, to meet their contractual obligations, without the slightest justification, and after repeated requests for information.” 

The contract, signed on December 1 2011, has been breached on five counts. Initially the consortium should have been constituted as a corporate body in order to undertake a public works concession. 

The Ports Agency granted several extensions to this deadline. A fine of €30,000 has led to further acrimony and delay. Secondly, the plans for the operating licence, submitted on the date they were due, were the same draft outlines that had been presented at the tender stage. They lacked sufficient detail for a licence to be issued.

A three month extension and a €25,000 fine resulted, and to date detailed plans have not been re-submitted. Thirdly the annual operator’s fee of €750,000 has not been paid for the last two years.

Marbella City Hall has said that the Junta de Andalucia “must” offer some alternative rather than just terminating the contract. The Mayor, Angeles Muñoz, during a visit to Dubai with the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, said that she would attempt to restore contact with the Sheikh. 

THE American College of Marbella has organised a forum with a theme of social and economic growth. INNOVA 2013 will be held in the Palacio de Congresos on Thursday, May 16, and will be welcoming the economic advisor of Barack Obama, Juan Verde, as one of the guest speakers. 

WELCOME to our regular column on the year’s most important cultural event – Marbella’s International Art Festival. Every two weeks we will be bringing you all the latest news on our amazing artists and performers, so watch this space.

Arte Marbella at a Glance 

Date –June 20-23

Time –June 20 inauguration from 7pm, June 21-23 4.30pm-11.30pm

Place – Parque Alameda and Avenida del Mar, Marbella

Cost – Admission to the festival is free of charge

This is the largest outdoor art event in Southern Spain and around 60 highly talented artists will be displaying their work in the centre of Marbella over three days. Every style of art will be represented by artists of over 20 different nationalities. 

There is a packed programme of entertainment with Jazz and Classical performances from 6pm-10pm on June 21, 22, and 23. Performers include Stephen Lloyd-Morgan, Helena Paul, a gospel choir, classical pianist and much more. Every day a graffiti artist will be in the Alameda park demonstrating their amazing skill and creating a unique work.

What’s on offer to tempt those taste buds? There will be a gourmet area where chefs will be cooking up tasty treats so visitors can have a drink and a bite to eat whilst enjoying these amazing performances and viewing inspirational works of art. 

More information www.artemarbella.com

ARTE MARBELLA reaches its landmark 5th edition in June.  One of the most popular cultural events in Marbella, it is a display of diverse artistic talent. Having represented more than 300 artists since 2009, the Festival Internacional de Arte Marbella is a complete cultural experience, free to the public, and represents the largest outdoor art festival in Southern Spain. 

Artists of all disciplines, painting, photography, sculpture and digital art take part, along with a complete programme of entertainment.

New this year is the creation of a Sculpture Garden in the Alameda, along with a demonstration of Graffiti Art in the same area.

The Festival is held in the Alameda and Avenida del Mar from June 20 to 23, from 4.30pm to 11.30pm, bringing the centre of Marbella to life with individual and group tents for art lovers. 

Inscription is open until Tuesday for artists who wish to display their art at the festival. This year, artists are being encouraged to form groups and collectives, by discipline or nationality. For details visit www.artemarbella.com. 

THE plan for the restoration and reforestation of the Sierra of Alhaurin de la Torre will continue despite the economic crisis. This will be the fifth year that work has been undertaken to replant around the two old quarries in the area.

The Councillor for the Environment, Salvador Herrera, confirmed that the impact caused by building and extraction of sand for construction was now declining.

The recent wet weather has been beneficial to the progress of the replanting and there has been no damage caused to the plants by the processionary caterpillar or other insects.

In the area of Pinos de Alhaurin, the replanting work is continuing with the preparation of the land by bringing in enriched soil. If the weather permits special machinery will be used to bring compost from the garden centre situated in the quarry.

In the area of the old quarry at Taralpe the reforestation has been very satisfactory and an abundance of flowers as well as buds and healthy new growth on the trees can be seen with no sign of fungus or infection.

The habitual presence of mountain goats in the area, which are a species protected by law, has been prevented by fencing around the young plants, encouraging the goats to search for food in other areas.