Behind the books and the roses: the invisible logistics that make Sant Jordi possible

• More than two million books change hands in a single day, within an ephemeral sales network that transforms streets and squares into the largest cultural showcase of the year.
• An invisible logistics operation, essential to ensuring that booksellers, publishers, and readers connect in record time and without interruptions on a day of maximum demand.

Millions of books, thousands of stalls and demand concentrated in just a few hours. While the streets of Catalonia fill with readers and roses every April 23, a complex logistics operation works against the clock to ensure that every sales point has the titles the public is looking for. Within this invisible machinery, publishing logistics becomes an indispensable ally of culture.

The success of Sant Jordi is measured in books sold, but also in something less visible: the ability to get them there on time. In just one day, sales shift to hundreds of temporary stalls spread across streets, squares, and bookshops, with unpredictable demand peaks and minimal reaction margins.

On April 23 last year alone, more than two million books were sold in Catalonia, corresponding to nearly 70,000 different titles and generating over €26 million in revenue, according to sector data. This intensity makes Sant Jordi one of the most demanding dates on the European publishing calendar, requiring weeks of advance planning… and decisive hours of immediate reaction.

The operation includes orders, deliveries, restocking, and the collection of surplus stock, managing more than 400 professional stalls in Barcelona and 1,000 delivery points. “On Sant Jordi, it’s not enough to deliver the books in the morning: you have to be ready to restock in real time what the public demands and to collect surplus stock at the end of the day,” explains Daniel Oropesa, General Manager of Logista Libros. “It’s a living logistics operation, changing every hour and requiring absolute coordination.”

Logistics as a cultural enabler

What makes Sant Jordi unique is that the supply chain does not end with delivery. Throughout the day, the ability to replenish sold‑out titles, redistribute copies between stalls, and adapt to unexpected demand peaks is key to ensuring that the reader’s experience is not disrupted.

“When someone looks for a specific book and finds it, logistics has done its job well,” notes Daniel Oropesa. “Our role is to ensure the celebration flows smoothly, without the public perceiving everything that’s happening behind the scenes.”

This coordination between specialized logistics and last‑mile delivery allows culture to reach the street quite literally, even in complex urban environments with strong mobility restrictions.

Every year, Sant Jordi demonstrates that culture also depends on solid infrastructure and teams capable of operating under pressure. A logistics operation that does not seek the spotlight, but is essential for books and readers to meet—and for a deeply rooted tradition to continue as a shared celebration.

About Logista – logista.com

Logista is one of the largest logistics operators in Europe, specializing in distribution to convenience channels. It regularly serves nearly 200,000 points of sale in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland, providing the fastest and most efficient market access for a wide range of convenience goods, pharmaceutical products, electronic top-ups, books, publications, tobacco, and lotteries, among others. Logista also stands out for operating Spain’s largest transport network, which is additionally certified in food safety.

Logista has a team of highly qualified professionals made up of more than 8,000 direct employees, along with a large number of collaborators such as Nacex franchisees, Logista Parcel delegates, drivers, and others. Employees and collaborators all work with a shared focus on delivering the most efficient service tailored to their customers’ needs.

About Logista Libros – logistalibros.com

Logista Libros is the largest independent book distributor in Spain and a leading supplier for the publishing industry and its customers. Over time, new projects and services have been progressively added, providing value‑added solutions tailored to the needs of clients and the sector (publishers and bookstores). The Logista Libros approach is based on collaborating closely with its customers, creating projects with shared objectives and supporting them in their growth.

Logista Libros is also firmly committed to innovation, efficiency, and the rapid adaptation of its processes to the sector’s new requirements. It offers the highest operational guarantees thanks to its information systems and the coordination of a highly qualified team specialized in all areas of the distribution process.

From its 66,000 m² central warehouse in Cabanillas del Campo, Logista Libros serves more than 200 publishers and 10 sales networks, ensuring full operational integration: 5,000 points of sale, 300,000 different titles, 26,000,000 copies in stock, and 40,000 POD references.

Commitment to Sustainability

Logista has a strong sustainability positioning. The company has been included for ten consecutive years in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) index of the most sustainable companies, being the only logistics company to achieve this milestone. This is complemented by other outstanding ratings from Sustainalytics and MSCI. In addition, Logista has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year in the Diversity Leaders 2026 ranking by Financial Times and Statista, achieving a score of 72.78/100, maintaining its European leadership in the Wholesale category for the second year and ranking 11th among Spanish companies.

Moreover, the company has increased the hiring of people with disabilities by 16% and is part of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, the IBEX Gender Equality Index, and FTSE4Good.

Within this framework, and as a continuation of initiatives promoted in recent years—which remain in force—Logista continues to expand its partnerships to promote diversity and inclusion. In March 2025, it renewed its agreement with the Real Madrid Foundation to promote sports activities for children with disabilities from APANID; in April 2024, it signed an agreement with the “la Caixa” Foundation to recruit people at risk of social exclusion with post-hiring support; in June 2024, together with the Atlético de Madrid Foundation, it supported adapted football schools; and in September 2024, it joined Fundación ONCE’s Inserta Agreement to boost the employment of people with disabilities. In addition, Logista maintains ongoing collaborations with the Red Cross and other organizations and runs a volunteering program with Fundación Integra, which in 2024 recognized the company for its training efforts after having trained 337 people at risk of social exclusion and with disabilities.