Catalonia's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said in an interview published on Sunday that he should have declared independence earlier, as delaying the call in hopes of starting dialogue with Madrid proved futile.
Faced with fierce online competition from the likes of Amazon, affordable fashion giants Zara and H&M are shoring up their defences, trying to use their stores to boost internet sales.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards rallied across the country on Saturday to demand better pensions as unions accused the government of seeking to privatise retirement benefits.
