Shop sales to start on July 15, much later than rest of Spain

Balearic shops will be allowed to place sale signs in their windows from July 15, way behind their counterparts on the mainland who have already started discounting. Under new local government guidelines shops are only allowed to have sales twice a year. The fact that this year's discounting is much later than other parts of the country has already caused some controversy. Shopkeepers have been hit by the slowdown in tourism and they hope that the sales will revive their fortunes. On average, a person will spend between 120 and 150 euros during the sales. Many shops, because of the trading conditions on the high streets, have been advertising and promoting special offers, a loophole in the Balearic government legislation, which many have been exploiting. Shopkeepers say that they should be able to decide when they have sales and not the Balearic government.