Discount giant Eurospin eyes Marsa supermarket

The Italian low-cost supermarket giant Eurospin is behind plans to develop a supermarket on the 6,544sq.m site of the Bezzina & Sons shipyard along the Aldo Moro Road in Marsa.

The company has already presented plans to demolish the existing industrial complex and construct a supermarket, with a retail area of 1,300sq.m on top of a ground floor car park.

A company brochure from 2019 set a target of 12 stores across Malta, pitting Eurospin as a direct competitor with Lidl in a crowded field of supermarket groups.

The Bezzina shipyard on Aldo Moro Road

With over 1,000 supermarkets in Italy and 62 in Slovenia, Malta will be Eurospin’s second overseas market. In 2016, the brand accounted for 33% of the discount goods market in Italy.

Only 55% of the site, already zoned for offices and showrooms in the local plans, will be allocated for the development.

The site is presently used for heavy plant storage, a mechanical workshop and a repair facility and is surrounded by high walls.

A project development statement (PDS) submitted to the Environment Resources Authority in 2020 does not exclude further development on the site, stating that the project is “leaving potential for other commercial use in the future”. Part of the site is allocated for a separate, future application.

Developers are reducing density by keeping 45% of the site undeveloped and limiting height to 11 meters instead of the 22-29m allowed by the local plan. They promised “large open spaces and aesthetically pleasing materials and design” which will benefit the area, which is presently “enclosed by high walls and structures”.

As proposed the gate on Triq il-Labour will be used solely for scheduled delivery of merchandise and waste carrier operations. The main customer entrance will be through a service road exiting on Aldo Moro Road.

The Transport Authority has requested a Traffic Impact Assessment.

Almost half of the respondents in a MaltaToday survey on supermarkets in 2016 had selected the discount giant Lidl as their first store of choice.