Events rental hardest hit in Spain

Events-related rental companies have been the hardest hit in Spain so far, though companies supplying construction contractors are also feeling the strain with the closure of some jobsites.

According to Jose Blanco, Secretary General of Spanish rental association ASEAMAC, the picture is very mixed, depending on the type of rental company, the sector it’s working in and the region in which it is operating.

“Anyone related with events received a big hit,” says Blanco, “As most of the season will already be gone when the market bounces back.”

This is the case even for those who are providing services to emergency response efforts such as temporary hospitals, which are demanding things like toilets and modular space.

Although Spanish construction sites have not been ordered to shut down, the picture is once again mixed; “We see that the larger cities, such as Madrid and Barcelona, are having difficulty maintaining operations for various reasons, such as lack of PPE [personal protective equipment], not enough workers, no access to spare parts or consumables, but also because of fear,” says Blanco. “This is generating some shutdowns on certain jobsites.”

Based on the information collected from its members so far, ASEAMAC reckons that more than 75% of construction sites remain open in Spain, though this percentage varies from one region to another.

The association is working to help support its members by providing them with the latest information via a dedicated page on its website.

Blanco says, “We are in permanent contact with the ERA [European Rental Association] to follow-up on how things are going in other countries, and trying to learn from other associations.”