It all started 13 years ago when Ivan Calleja and Joseph Pace joined forces to open the first The Convenience Shop outlet in Zebbug.   They envisaged that the modern Maltese lifestyle would create a gap in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) retail business – The Convenience Shop sought to bridge this gap by increasing its presence in several localities, operating with increased opening hours and offering an assortment of products that suited customers’ daily needs.

Ivan Calleja and Joseph Pace were joined by Manuel Piscopo and Kevin Deguara to continue building on the foundation of the company. The Convenience Shop is now operating 76 outlets strategically located across 43 locations around Malta.

WhosWho.mt met with Ivan Calleja to get more insights on The Convenience Shop story.

Ivan explains that he already had previous experience in the retail business, and, together with Joseph, “we decided to open our own retail outlet”. 

“We are both success-driven and customer-oriented. Therefore, we always envisioned to open further outlets to grow the business and become one of Malta’s top retail companies in the FMCG industry.  In the beginning it was challenging, especially to gain customer and suppliers’ trust, however opportunities started coming along after we opened the first few outlets.”

Biggest achievement

Looking back over the years, Ivan points towards the company’s growth rate as being among the biggest achievements.

“There was a year, 2016, when we opened more than 10 outlets,” he shares.

Despite the sustained growth, Ivan stresses that the company’s focus remained “on our employees, our customers, and our suppliers”.

“We value and reciprocate our employees work and trust.  They are key in our success story since they are the face of our company, they are the ones who are in contact with our customers – our bread and butter.”

Key milestones

Asked, in his view, what the key milestones are for The Convenience Shop Group, he quickly says that “by far” it is the launch of the company’s first franchise outlet in Ghaxaq.

“Having investors believe in us and joining our family was the biggest satisfaction.”

The second milestone, Ivan says, was when the Group established a C-level Management team which drove the business growth further.

The third milestone was when the company went public and issued a fully subscribed bond operated by the Malta Stock Exchange, he adds.

Pandemic lessons and challenges

The pandemic brought new challenges for all.  Asked about how it impacted The Convenience Shop, Ivan shares that although the company is placed “in the right business,” it still “struggled to grow further because the size of the population decreased, and finding employees was becoming a hurdle”.

“We had to be proactive and think outside the box – become diverse.  We started exploring new ideas and joined forces with the AFM to provide vulnerable customers with a free door to door distribution service. We wanted to increase our reach, so we set up a commercial website and we are still working towards finding ways to continue growing the business beyond the constraints of the Maltese Islands.”

In support of NGOs

The Convenience Group is known for giving back to charity, with Ivan stressing that the company feels an obligation to “give something back to society”.

“We work closely with the Malta Trust Foundation and Puttinu Cares amongst others, and we have several food banks to help various organisations and people in need. 

“Today, I am the Chairman of the MTF board, and I represent the business community for Villa Bianca.  One of our biggest projects involves 12 companies coming from different industries.  

“Together we fund the day to day running of the newly established ‘Villa Bianca’, a school that welcomes children from all spectrums of autism and diverse abilities to help them develop their music and artistic capabilities.”

Future plans

Turning to the future, Ivan shares that the Group’s main focus remains providing its local customers with an assortment of products “that satisfies their daily needs and disposable income”.

“The company is also exploring the possibilities of growing internationally.”