A young entrepreneur who has been selling ‘authentic tiles’ from the Esplanade in Alicante has found himself in hot water. The young businessman assured authorities that he had obtained permission from the builder carrying out repair works on the iconic tiled promenade, but reports this week claim that the Mayor of Alicante is looking into taking legal action against him.
Deputy spokesperson and councillor for legal affairs, Manuel Villar said, “We are raising legal actions both for the provenance of the tiles, and for a certificate of authenticity that is given in the purchase.”
The tricolour marble pieces come from redevelopment works on the iconic marble paseo in Alicante. The Esplanade underwent repairs in October 2020 right through until summer 2021. The young entrepreneur, Alex Tango, said “One day, walking along the Esplanade, I saw the works and I found it very interesting. It was Sunday and no one was at the site. I came back another day and spoke with a person who was in charge…There were many tiles already broken by the works. I told him I was excited to take a few, and he told me to take whatever I wanted. I approached the area and was selecting those that were in the best condition, those that were most attractive.” The youngster then created a web page for his project, selling the black, cream and red ‘authentic’ tiles from the Paseo de la Esplanada for almost 60 euros per unit.
At first, each tile had a price of 60 euro including taxes, an amount that has since been reduced to 36 euro. A three-piece pack, meanwhile, has gone from costing 144 euros to 107 euros. A certificate of authenticity is also included in the purchase of the tiles, dated August and with an unidentified signature. Alicante City Council alleged at first that they had no involvement with the sale of the tiles. Now however, it looks like legal action is being taken against the seller.