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There’s some rather superficial coverage in the expat press of how Burger King is to open up in El Corte Ingles. It’s actually a bit more interesting than that.

Isidoro Álvarez has announced that his firm is to actually change direction somewhat, and move away from a typical “department store” format into a new “shopping mall” format.

His plan is to permit third party companies to open up their stores inhouse, thus expanding the range of services and goods on offer at no additional cost to El Corte Inglés. It’s a cunning plan, I’ll give him that.

It hangs in nicely with Burger King España’s plan; they’re on an aggresive expansion plan, and are opening up in new locations such as shopping centres, ports and trainstations. So far this year they’ve opened 26 new Burger Kings (and closed 4).

So Burger King is only the first of the companies to actually sign a deal. Their first inhouse store will open in the Arroyosur Corte Ingles at the end of this month, and will be directly managed by Burger King (ie, not a franchise). More stores will be opened up over the course of the year as their insides are swopped around.

El Corte Inglés has also confirmed that it is about to sign some deals with other firms such as Rodilla, a fast food sandwich chain, and Hedonai, a chain of beauty salons, according to Expansión, and is in talks with several other national chains.

Despite having, last month, hinted that the new El Corte Ingles in El Ejido would not open until early next year, a surprise announcement has been made: It will open on the 28th of this month!

No doubt Sr Isidoro Álvarez Álvarez is giggling at the little joke he played on the campuos of Almería.

Quite exciting. I shall send Chris Marshall to go and film the grand opening.

The GF had her pops make her the most delicious shoe cupboard. Full of cunning little shelves and pockets to hide shoe cleaners in. It goes very well with my Japanese cherrywood shoe slip.

Anyway, she came, somewhat pensively I felt, out of the bedroom shortly after the wooden miracle had been delivered.

“It’s full” she announced, “all of your shoes. And there are still a few pairs that don’t fit in”.

“Nonsense” said I, “I only own two pairs of shoes”.

Well, do you know, it turns out I own quite a few pairs of shoes. See, I tend to buy new pairs and wear them, without bothering to toss away the old pair. So while I may rotate through two pairs, I actually own… well, let’s say about a dozen pairs or so of wearable shoes.

The GF did some sums. Turns out that’s well over a grand in shoes.

So if you see me wearing different coloured shoes from normal, or turning up daily in a different pair of shoes…. I’m using up the old ones.

(The Corte Ingles shoe department is out of bounds for now).