PN warns that central retails stores are ‘suffering’

Central retail shops, such as those in Hamrun, Mosta, Paola and Birkirkara are suffering from a lack of trade, the Nationalist Party has warned.

“These retail centres are an essential part of the community and every effort should be made by government to ensure that these centres remain competitive,” PN deputy leader De Marco said in a statement.

Citing recent Eurostat statistics, de Marco welcomed the recent increase in retail sales but questioned whether this growth is being felt by all retailers and wholesalers.

“While some retail sectors are enjoying growth, other sectors are in decline,” he said. “The sales of food and beverages declined by 0.8% while the retail of non-food items, excluding fuel, increased marginally by 0.9%.

“Interestingly, the sale of automotive fuel surged by 12.1%, meaning that Malta registered the second highest growth in sales of automotive fuel amongst the EU countries for which data is available.”