The Costa del Sol's beach sunbed rental business 'is not as profitable as people think'

It is a Tuesday in high season in Torremolinos on Spain's Costa del Sol. It is not yet ten o'clock in the morning but trying to find a parking spot is absolute murder. The holiday resort town, just a few kilometres away from Malaga city, is something of a sanctuary for 'chiringuito' beach bars. Every few metres a new one is lined up along a coastal strip that is divided into several sections. The trail goes on until you reach the Bajondillo end of the beach. Vehicles delivering goods bring the products that will be consumed in the next few hours, but the ones who get up the earliest to work in the area are the real hard grafters in the summer sun. They are those who answer to the profession of 'hamaquero', the renters of sunbeds on the beach. The job title might as well be etched onto their skin.

A sunlounger on the sands is the easiest option to spend a beach day in comfort without the need to turn up at the beach laden with sun shades and folding chairs. Contrary to public opinion, especially that of the customers, the hamaqueros and beach bar owners claim that it is not as profitable a business as most people imagine.

This is influenced by the fact that the price for renting sunbeds in the province is moderate compared to other areas outside the province (as long as you take Marbella's beach clubs out of the equation). President of the association of beach business owners in Malaga province (Aeplayas), Manolo Villafaina, stresses that the prices paid are very moderate in Malaga province. "The average is around seven euros. There are places where they can charge you eight, in others they have it for six... If we take out some areas of Marbella, renting a sunlounger is within most people's budgets", he said in a conversation with SUR.

There are two models of how the trade works. One consists of a combination of beach bar and sunbed rental, and then there are those who make a living just renting sunbeds. The former is the most common in Malaga province nowadays, but there are those like Ulrico Quevedo, who has been putting out sunbeds at Playa Marcel for 27 years. "This works because we are a family business. I run it with my son", he says. In July and August there would be no problem for this business to be kept busy, especially in August, where not having a pre-booked sunbed can mean being left without. Pre-booking would be essential, at least for the ones in the first and second rows closest to the sea.

But the life of the hamaquero is that of someone who has to make the business profitable in just a few months in order to be able to continue for the rest of the year. "People only see this place as full, but here September comes around and business tails off", he said. With a stock of sunbeds close to 100 Ulrico says he pays between 7,000 and 8,000 euros to Torremolinos town hall - a fee that is paid by every beach trader and goes to the municipal coffers. The coastline is the responsibility of the Spanish state, but the beaches fall to the municipal authorities. Ulrico charges seven euros for a sunbed and the user can stay from ten in the morning until eight in the evening. He admits that there are certain mutual agreements made so as not to unleash a price war. "The neighbouring businesses talk more or less to see what we charge, although everyone can charge what they want, of course".

An example of an integral service is offered by Los Manueles. The well-known beach bar has an area for around 70 sunbeds. Gustavo Correa, who has been working on site for twelve years, is in charge. "During the month of August, the first and second rows are set aside wholly for pre-bookings", he says. There is a lot of international clientele, but domestic tourists still predominate in August. One of the advantages of the sunbed service is being able to enjoy sampling the menu of Los Manueles while staying on the beach.

The journey in search of a sunbed across the province continues and now takes us to the eastern strip of the Costa del Sol. "Here the culture is different", said Bernardo Palma, owner of the beach bar Marina Playa. By culture he means the way of spending a day at the beach. "The difference with Torremolinos, Benalmádena or Fuengirola is huge. We have a lot of local people. The custom is to bring your own chair and umbrella and spend the whole day like this," he said.

When asked if the rental business is profitable for him, Palma insisted on the difference in habits: "The sunbeds are not profitable on their own. I have them as an added service to my business". Even in August, he said, it is rare that he has all his sunbeds rented out. "Maybe on a Saturday or Sunday," he said. "Never during the week. In the Axarquia area, the average price is also around seven euros. In the context of prices increasing in general, spending the whole day on the beach in comfort is still an affordable luxury".