CHINESE NEW YEAR "GOOD OPPORTUNITY"

People hang out at El Corte Ingles department store cafeteria with views of central Madrid, Spain, Sept 21, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]

In the eyes of Javier Fernandez Andrino, director of international marketing at the emblematic Corte Ingles department store, Spanish companies see the Chinese New Year as an opportunity to increase sales to Chinese tourists.

"The New Year is important for stores all over Europe, not just in Spain, because Chinese tourists have become excellent clients and it is an honor to celebrate the New Year with our visitors," said Andrino.

The Corte Ingles' flagship store in the central Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, welcomes around 150,000 Chinese tourists every year and employs several Chinese speakers to help them make their purchases.

"The more attention we can give, then the more comfortable they feel. It helps them feel welcome and that means they spend more time with us. So that benefits us all," Andrino told Xinhua.

The importance of China to the Corte Ingles was made clear in 2018 when the company signed an agreement with Chinese company Alibaba to develop close collaboration in different areas, such as retail and distribution, cloud computing services and digital innovation and payment using mobile phones.

"The Chinese are our most important international clients..." said Andrino.