Axarquía shopping centre expands commercial and gastronomic offer

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Harper & Neyer and Lizarran have opened up in El Ingenio after a record year of visitors and sales

Eugenio Cabezas

Monday, 6 April 2026, 13:09

El Ingenio shopping centre, the main shopping centre in the Axarquía area of Malaga province and located in Vélez-Málaga continues to expand its offer with the opening of new stores and restaurants but also marked by the debate about its possible future expansion and its impact on local commerce.

The latest incorporation has been the Malaga clothing firm Harper & Neyer, which opened during Easter Week with special promotions for the first customers, in an action aimed at reinforcing the shopping experience and attracting the public.

According to the centre's management in a press release, the first visitors were able to access incentives such as free clothing and gifts, in a common strategy in the sector to stimulate openings and generate traffic in the first days of activity.

In addition to this opening, Lizarran has been added to the restaurant area, expanding a gastronomic offer that in recent years has become one of the pillars of the commercial model of El Ingenio.

The management of the complex stresses that these additions respond to the "commitment to continue expanding and strengthening the commercial and leisure offer", in line with the strategy that allowed the centre to exceed 9.2 million visitors in 2025 and increase its sales by more than seven per cent, according to the latest data released by the company.

More than 700 direct jobs

El Ingenio, owned by Salsa Patrimonio and managed by MVGM, has in its 25 years of existence, become one of the main economic engines of the Axarquía, with more than 700 direct jobs and a strong regional attraction capacity, favoured by its strategic location just off the A-7 motorway and the avenue that connects Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar.

However, this sustained growth coexists with the challenges facing the sector, especially competition from e-commerce and the ongoing debate about the possible expansion of the complex, which has generated misgivings among local traders' associations about its possible impact on the traditional commercial fabric.

At the same time, the centre has intensified its modernisation process in recent years, with investments in sustainability (such as the photovoltaic plant and Endesa's largest electric recharging hub in Andalucía), digitalisation and improved customer experience, in an attempt to adapt to new consumer habits.

These new openings are therefore part of a broader strategy of repositioning the shopping centre, which seeks to consolidate its leadership in the Axarquía in an increasingly competitive context, in which constant renovation has become a key factor in maintaining its attractiveness.

With this move, El Ingenio reinforces its role as a reference space in the area, although with its sights set on the future challenges posed by its growth and how it fits into the commercial model of the east of Malaga province.