Plaza Mayor shopping centre will not stay open until midnight this Thursday following 30 July strike

The Comisiones Obreras and UGT trade unions have called off the new strike planned for 27 August, but fear the initiative could resurface at any moment

The picket line following the closure of a Plaza Mayor shop. (Salvador Salas)

24/08/2026 a las 19:16h.

The Plaza Mayor and McArthurGlen shopping centres in Malaga have pulled out of the second 'Late Night Shopping' initiative, scheduled for Thursday, 27 August, ... as head of the CC OO trade union for Malaga Ayoze Curbelo confirmed.

'Late Night Shopping' proposed extending opening hours from the usual 10pm to midnight on two dates this summer: 30 July and 27 August.

On the first of these two days, the Comisiones Obreras and UGT trade unions organised a protest that all the shops opposed to the initiative joined. According to trade union figures, 99 per cent of the shops closed, with 85 per cent of staff taking part in the strike.

- Malaga council urges Plaza Mayor not to open until midnight without staff agreement
Pilar R. Quirós

The workers protested because the shopping centres' management had taken the decision to stay open until midnight unilaterally, without prior consultation or negotiation with workers.

They also said that this would undermine their work-life balance and create logistical and transport difficulties in getting home from the area at such a late hour.

They also feared that the two days of working until midnight proposed for 2026 were merely the beginning and that in subsequent years the shopping centres would introduce more consistent late-night opening hours, with others following suit.

The unions had planned a second strike on 27 August.

From 'Late Night Shopping' to 'Súper Jueves After Feria'

On Monday, staff representatives at Plaza Mayor and McArthurGlen received written confirmation from the employers' organisations that 'Late Night Shopping' has been renamed 'Súper Jueves After Feria' ('Super Thursday After Fair').

This initiative, however, will take place between 10am and 10pm, that is to say, during the usual opening hours of the shopping centres. The event consists of live performances and other activities planned for customers.

Ayoze Curbelo said: "This decision is proof of the success and the resounding victory of our protest on 30 July, which saw a huge turnout. The two shopping centres have rescheduled Thursday's opening hours. However, we remain vigilant. We do not know whether this idea might resurface at a later date."

"What the companies presented as 'a different experience' turned out, in practice, to be clear proof that Malaga's retail sector was not prepared to work until midnight without conditions," the trade unions stated in a press release.

Comisiones Obreras and UGT have called off the strike scheduled for 27 August, but warned that they will remain vigilant against any breach of the agreement.

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