Site selection tools in Spain: geomarketing, footfall data, consultancies and brief-based premises search compared

Site selection tools compared: area, premises and coverage

Expansion teams in Spain rarely rely on one tool. Each approach answers a different question. Some tell you where to open. Others tell you which available unit fits. Knowing which question a tool answers is the first step in choosing one.

Consultancies and brokers are not software, but they sit in the same decision, so they are included here; most expansion teams use them alongside tools. Property portal filters are included as a baseline, because most teams start there.

Each line below reads: approach — what it answers — analyses the area? — analyses the premises? — coverage.

• Geomarketing and location intelligence — where to open: catchments (área de influencia), isochrones, demographics, scoring and cannibalisation models — analyses the area? Yes — analyses the premises? No; it typically needs analyst time and a listing feed of your own to connect scores to available premises — coverage: depends on the provider's data.
• Footfall and mobility data — which streets have the most people, by street and time of day; strongest for ranking candidate streets — analyses the area? Yes, street by street — analyses the premises? No; it does not describe size, ceiling height, licence or frontage — coverage: depends on the provider.
• Consultancies and brokers — which premises to consider, with local judgement and access to off-market premises — analyses the area? Yes, through local knowledge — analyses the premises? Yes, through visits and negotiation — coverage: depends on the firm and the person; so does cost.
• Property portal filters and alerts — which listings match on price, size and a few tick-boxes, with quick alerts — analyses the area? No — analyses the premises? Partly; details an operator needs, such as salida de humos (a smoke outlet), licencia de actividad (the activity licence) or a traspaso (a transfer of an existing business), are often only in the free-text description — coverage: broad listing coverage.
• Brief-based premises search (what Claro does) — which available premises meet each criterion of your brief, with a verdict per criterion (met, not met or not stated), the evidence quoted and exact counts — analyses the area? Yes, across Spain where available: footfall, residents, age mix, household income, spending power and nearby places — analyses the premises? Yes, each listing is read against your criteria — coverage: the agencies' listings Claro holds, searched across Spain by city or province; premises outside Madrid and Barcelona are added every night.

Why the listing's free text matters

Many facts that decide a site are written in the description, not in a structured field. A filter cannot find what it cannot read.

As of 10 October 2026, among retail premises for rent in Madrid that Claro checked for a shop window, 757 listings state one and 3,110 do not mention it. Those 3,110 are not premises without a shop window. The listing is silent, so the answer is not stated until someone checks.

Claro reads 13 listing criteria from each listing's own words and adds measured location data where available. When a listing is silent, the criterion is marked not stated, never assumed. Our methodology guide explains how each verdict is reached.

• Met: the listing states it, and the sentence is quoted as evidence.
• Not met: the listing states something that rules it out.
• Not stated: the listing does not mention it. Ask the agency or verify on a visit.

Checklist: what to ask any tool

These questions apply to any site selection tool, whichever approach it takes. Ask them before a trial, and ask for the answers in writing.

• Which Spanish cities are covered, and is coverage dated and counted?
• Does the tool read the unit's own listing, or only score the area around it?
• Can I see the evidence behind every verdict and the source of every figure?
• How are missing facts handled: guessed, ignored or marked not stated?
• How often is the inventory refreshed, and are duplicate listings merged and withdrawn premises removed?
• What location data is included, from whom, with what method and as of which date?
• Does it work from my existing expansion brief, uploaded as a file, in any language?
• Is there an API or MCP server for my own pipeline and AI agents?
• How is GDPR handled, and who can see my searches?
• What is the price model, and is there a free trial?

Where brief-based search fits in the workflow

Brief-based search does not replace area analysis, consultancies or site visits. It sits between choosing the area and visiting the unit.

A typical sequence runs from area strategy to candidate units, then visits and verification, then the expansion committee. Geomarketing and footfall analysis narrow the districts and streets. Brief-based search finds the available units there and shows which criteria each one meets, with evidence. Visits confirm what the listing says and settle what it does not.

For the committee step, each premises in Claro comes with a dossier: a verdict per criterion with its quoted evidence, a link to the agency's own listing, and, where available, footfall and catchment figures and what is nearby. You can compare up to five premises side by side and mark each one shortlist, maybe or no. Our guide to writing an expansion brief covers what to include before you start.

• Area strategy: catchments, demographics, footfall, cannibalisation.
• Candidate units: brief-based search with verdicts and evidence.
• Visits and verification: check every not stated criterion on site or with the agency.
• Committee dossier: evidence, location figures and side-by-side comparison.

A worked example: a gym brief in Madrid and Barcelona

Take a fitness operator looking for a gym in Madrid or Barcelona: 500–1,200 m², ceiling at least 3.5 m, step-free access, loading access, rent under €15,000 a month, at least 30% of residents aged 15–29 within a 10-minute walk, and no more than two gyms within a 10-minute walk.

Claro turns the brief into criteria you can see and edit. The answer opens with exact counts: how many premises meet every stated criterion and how many have one or more criteria not stated. Each premises then shows its verdict per criterion. A ceiling height is met only if the listing gives one of at least 3.5 m, and the sentence is quoted.

The age and competition criteria are checked against location data for each address, supplied by a Casafari group company: residents within a 10-minute walk and drive, age mix, household income, spending power, footfall within a five-minute walk, and the gyms, restaurants, cafés, shops and supermarkets nearby. Our footfall guide explains what those figures measure. For local context, see the Madrid and Barcelona city pages.

• As of 10 October 2026, the agencies' listings Claro holds include 8,113 shops and retail premises in Madrid (3,879 for rent, 4,234 for sale) and 9,379 in Barcelona (4,838 for rent, 4,541 for sale).
• Counting all types (premises, offices, warehouses, hotels and others), Claro holds 13,437 commercial properties on the market in Madrid and 12,937 in Barcelona, for rent or for sale.
• Footfall is shown in people a day, weekday versus weekend, by time of day, and split between residents, workers and tourists.
• Every premises links only to the agency's own listing page. Private sellers are never named.

Try it with your own brief

Anyone can run one free search on the homepage without signing up. Type the premises you need in plain words, or upload the brief you already have as a PDF, Word, Excel or PowerPoint file, or a photo of a printed page, in any language.

The free search shows matching premises, exact counts, verdicts with evidence and, where available, the location data around each one. A search that matches nothing does not use it. More searches, every result, dossiers, comparison, the REST API and the MCP server need access, which you request with a short form the Casafari team reviews.