Many locals often complain that despite the numerous shopping malls across Malta, the same brands dominate the scene.
This has become particularly prominent after the opening of new retail developments in Malta over the past year. And, while some were happy that their favourite brands became available closer to home, others wish to see more variety.
Speaking to WhosWho.mt, The Point Shopping Mall CEO, Edwin Borg, acknowledges that whilst it is very difficult to get big brands to come to Malta, “developers and retailers need to put in more thought into how they fill up their respective schemes because [Malta will] end up with more of the same.”
Mr Borg has been the CEO of The Point for the past 13 years and is known for his calm and focus as a leader, as well as his passion for business.
He tells WhosWho.mt that, in the past, The Point brought an element of diversity.
“But as time goes by, new developments came into the market. Many developers do not have retail background and they tend to go after more of the same of whatever is in the market,” he adds.
Mr Borg highlighted that – while filling up a shopping centre is not an easy task – it should not be purely a financial exercise. “If so, we will end up having more of the same shops and from a customer point of view it could only lead to an element of alienation more than anything else,” he reiterated.
While the retail industry expanded with the introduction of different brands on the islands, throughout the years, locals have called for big brands found in other countries, such as Primark and H&M, among others, to come to the islands.
Mr Borg recognises that attracting big brands such as Primark is no easy feat in Malta.
“I think it’s very difficult for fashion franchises and the main reason for this is the small size of the market locally. A place like Birmingham with a population of 4.3 million, for example, carries even more attraction than an entire country like Malta,” he says.
Additionally, he states that many Maltese retail groups have been successful in attracting brands to Malta because of a basis of larger operations they had in countries outside of the country, “because that helps them obtain a critical mass which they can never attain purely from a local operation,” he continues.
He adds that that one can understand the hesitation from big global brands if, commercially, the return is very small, “if not next to nothing, in relative terms,” when considering whether to enter the local market.
In 2022, headlines were made when a local retailer, Fashion Outlet Malta, announced that it was adding H&M to its list of brands. However, the store has since closed and no further updates were provided about the presence of the popular H&M brand in Malta.
Late last year, advertising boards for major sports retailer Sports Direct were put up at Mercury Towers, indicating that it will make a local debut. And, while the public expressed much excitement about a new major brand on the scene, most commented that this would only be attractive if they charged similarly low prices as they do overseas – which can prove to be highly difficult due to Malta’s small island economics.
