Luxury Shopping in Madrid – El Corte Ingles

by Puru

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Mar 11, 2014

Madrid

As the beautiful capital and the largest city of Spain, Madrid is the perfect place for a range of activities, be it sightseeing, fine dining, enjoying the night life of the city or shopping. It is an interesting shopping destination with a mix of local and International brands. The markets are open till late in the night and one can find everything from different styles and varied price ranges.

El Corte Ingles (Eng: The English Court) is a major shopping landmark in Madrid, headquarters of the biggest retail chain in Europe and one of the world leaders in departmental stores. Staying true to its slogan, “the store for all your purchases”, it provides the experience of a Department Store where one can find everything and anything.

El-Corte-Ingles1

El Corte Ingles

The story of El Corte Ingles is a tale of extraordinary entrepreneurship and business acumen.  In 1935, Ramón Areces Rodríguez bought a small tailoring shop by the same name, located in the shopping district of Madrid, and turned it into a company. By 1940, the El Corte Inglés company had 7 employees and César Rodríguez, Ramón’s uncle, assumed office as its  first chairman. The post war period saw solid growth for the venture and by 1960s, it was a major departmental store in Madrid with various branches opening up in different parts of the city. The time between 1960 and 1990 was of major expansion when the company expanded its operations to become a pan-nation entity. After the acquisition of Galerías Preciados, its most serious competitor, El Corte Ingles firmly established itself as the largest departmental store chain in Spain. Today, with its branches all over Europe, the company is the largest departmental group in the continent.

El-Corte-Ingles

Luxury shopping redefined

The new El Corte Ingles store promises a fascinating luxury shopping experience to the guests with an exclusive feel and the best of haute couture. The 22 storied flagship store located in the financial heart of Madrid boasts of the most comprehensive collection that can be found in Spain. It has an array of iconic brands in fashion, watches and jewellery. Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Armani, Gucci, Bulgari, Rolex, Tag Heuer .. you name the brand and it has an outlet here, each with their own unique ambiance and decor.

Fashion

fashionHigh Fashion is the pride of the place. It brings together iconic designers from across the fashion capitals of the world – from Paris to Milan, on its ‘street of luxury’ where each brand has an exclusive space of their own and in their signature style. At a single place, it provides the guests to find the best of the world fashion, including British, French and Italian fashion houses like Burberry, Dior, Prada, Armani and Gucci, to name just a few.

The store is a kaleidoscope of not just International fashion but also for the Spanish fashion brands as well. The Spanish fashion house Loewel has a prominent space featuring its signature collections.

Jewellery and Time Pieces

The Jewellery and Time Pieces section is the new addition in the store where the most famous jewellery and watchmakers of the world have assembled together to create glittering magic in metal and stone. Among the premium brands that have set shop here are Bulgari, Boucheron, Chaumet, Chopard, Cartier, Rolex, Tag Heuer and Omega. Renowned jewellers like Alado and Suarez also have their outlets in this section. The latest offerings from brands like Jaquet Droz, Glashutte Original and Baume & Mercier are also present here. While some of the brands have their own shops, others are made available in the multi-brand zone.

Perfumes and Cosmetics

Dior_Castellana

The best brands under one roof

The Perfumes and Cosmetics section adds exotic aroma and colors to the place. The store offers the best brands of perfumes and cosmetics to its guests in this section. Brands like Georgio Armani, Supremya Yeux, Manifasto L’Elixir, Carita, Nars are on offer here.

Gourmet Dining

Gourmet-Experience

Gourmet Experience

What is luxury without the best of gourmet dining experience made to satisfy the tastes of the most demanding of patrons? El Corte Ingles tries to redefine fine dining with a 1000 sq mt food court, a collection of mini restaurants, offering delicacies from all over the world, including the best of Spanish cuisine. One can expect to taste here, the most exclusive chocolates from Switzerland and the most exquisite Louis Roederer Cristal champagnes and wines from Chateay Lafite and Vega Sicilia in the wine cellars of the store. The International guests are provided with translators to make sure that they get the perfect food and wines on their order.

View of Madrid

Madrid View

A panoramic view of Madrid from the top

The Dining area and terrace of the store provide a beautiful view of the Madrid city. Do not forget the opportunity to take in the scenery if you are there!

brands

Tourist Services

The Tax Free service of the store provides a charming opportunity for the tourists to indulge in luxury shopping with lesser burden on their wallets. There is a discreet area dedicated for the refund of the VAT. Foreign tourists can also avail 10% discount on the items purchased after showing their passports.

Jaeger-ingles

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Important Information

Address: 79, Calle Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, Madrid, Spain
Telephone: 914 188 800, 914 188 800 (Food Court)
Timings: 10 AM – 10 PM (Working days), 11 AM – 9 PM (Holidays), Closed on 6 January, 1 May, 25 December
Website: Castellana

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INFORMATION

  • Address: 79, Calle Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, Madrid, Spain
  • Telephone: 914 188 800, 914 188 800 (Food Court)
  • Timings: 10 AM – 10 PM (Working days), 11 AM – 9 PM (Holidays), Closed on 6 January, 1 May, 25 December

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About the Author

Puru

Puru is an IT Project Manager from Pune, India and an avid blogger. He is passionate about travel, photography, cinema and books. He blogs on Shadows Galore, Art House Cinema, The Mutinous Indian and Antarnaad.

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6 Comments

  1. Aliasgar Mukhtiar

    Nice Pictures

    Reply
    • Puru

      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  2. Renuka

    The first picture is so gorgeous. Although I don’t like to shop while on a holiday, Madrid sounds like a cool destination for shopaholics.

    Reply
    • Puru

      Thanks for your visit Renuka. Yes, Madrid is a very picturesque city with some great views. And very apt for shopaholics also 🙂

      Reply
  3. Wayne

    This article does nothing for me. Don’t get me wrong I love shopping but you can get Dior, Cartier, Gucci and any other luxury brand anywhere in the world. We need more articles on things you can only get in a particular country. Like Leather and Gold and pure silk in Florence, Italy etc That’s what I’ll spend my foreign currency on not on things I can get at home. But Madrid looks amazing, maybe next year. 🙂

    Reply
    • Puru

      Valid point Wayne. However, there are exclusive Spanish brands like Loewel which have their own space at this place. You may look at these brands to get a taste of Spain .. Coming to your suggestion, yes I totally agree. This is just a beginning and we will be coming up with articles with more local flavors when it come to shopping 🙂

      Reply

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