No show for Valletta Sunday Market

Earlier this week, government announced that, from this Sunday, the daily market in Valletta's Merchants and Old Theatre streets would be opening for business on Sundays as well, from 7am to 2pm.

However, the market was unceremoniously cancelled this morning, as not a single hawker appeared to set up the customary stalls that populate the street during weekdays.

MaltaToday is informed that despite there have been no official forewarning or announcement that the market would be cancelled, hawkers had been overheard discussing the no-show the previous day.

Valletta shop-owners who spoke to MaltaToday also said that some shop-owners had been unofficially forewarned of the market's cancellation, and had opted to similarly not open their own shops.

Contacted by Maltatoday, Minister for Fair Competition, Small Business and Consumers Jason Azzopardi said that he was unaware of the reason why the market was not held as it was announced it would be.

"[Street hawkers] have no duty, no obligation, to operate on Sunday as well," he said, speculating that there could be several reasons why the market stall operators did not feel the need to open shop on Sunday.

The minister speculated that their earnings during the week could be sufficient enough that opening on Sunday would not be necessary, and noted that the unfavourable weather forecast could have also been a factor.

Azzopardi also emphasised that government's decision to grant the market the freedom to operate on Sundays as well, was simply a recognition and acceptance of the requests to that effect made by the market stall operators themselves.

The Government had announced the Sunday market's beginning earlier this week.

Both Valletta Mayor Alexei Dingli and Minister Jason Azzopardi said the measure would inject more life into the city over the weekends.