While major commercial ventures such as Oasiz are entering into insolvency proceedings, Madrid is preparing to open a new mega shopping center in Valdebebas in 2027. With an investment of €500 million, it promises to have more than 280 stores and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. It will be the largest shopping center in the city and one of the largest in Spain.
The complex will be built very close to IFEMA, Isabel Zendal Hospital, and Barajas Airport’s T4 terminal, in an area designed to be the city’s new residential and business hub. The project will occupy approximately 360,000–362,000 square meters of floor space and will consist of two large buildings connected by a large central open-air plaza.
The architecture, designed by Chapman Taylor, features curved lines, white colors, spacious galleries, terraces, and green areas to encourage visitors to stay longer and not just “go shopping and go home.” In other words, it follows the trend of new shopping centers that know they have to offer more than just stores to attract people.
There will be around 260-280 stores, offering a mix of fashion, technology, homewares, restaurants, and services designed to attract both local residents and people from across the region. Among the major attractions already confirmed are a new-generation Kinépolis cinema, which aims to become a leisure hub in northern Madrid, as well as large retail chains and restaurants with outdoor terraces.
The promise of thousands of jobs
Image courtesy of: @HilosValdebebas
According to a recent article in El Español, the project is expected to create between 5,400 and 6,000 direct jobs in shops, restaurants, cinemas, security, cleaning, and management, and around 3,500 indirect jobs in logistics, maintenance, supplies, and external services. However, comparing it again with Oasiz, which is currently the largest shopping center in the region, it only created 1,500 jobs.
Construction is scheduled to begin in earnest in 2026, with the aim of opening the complex in 2027, although no opening date has been set yet. In addition to the construction deadlines, the project will have to be coordinated with improvements to road access and public transport in Valdebebas to prevent the increase in traffic from causing gridlock in the area during rush hour.