Story of a bazaar in Malta

The way we live today is changing rapidly and we often do not realise that what was good a few years ago is not acceptable today.

Ten years ago, seeing grapes on a vegetable van in January would have surprised any Maltese citizen in Malta. Today it is surprising if a vegetable seller does not have the most tempting bunch of grapes on any day of the year.

Who would have dreamt that in such a short while any housewife, teenager or whoever would be using mobile phones, which are now as 'indispensable' as washing machines or television sets?

I remember times when just a few families owned a TV set, let alone four mobile phones, three cars, air-conditioning, etc. In the run-up to the 1996 election, the prime minister was ridiculed by the Opposition because he said that housewives were going out to work in order to lead a more comfortable life and buy air-conditioners.

Ask any air-conditioning importer today how many units he sells, not only to working housewives but also to newly weds, old people and even churches and convents. What was a luxury six years ago has become a necessity today.

Some time ago I read in an old newspaper that to use a car one had to be accompanied by a policeman walking in front of it, because it was considered a danger to the public.

This was a time when there were only 12 cars in Malta and my uncle owned one of them - a black Baby Austin. Today we have 12,000 new cars on the road every year and thank God we do not need a policeman to guide us through the daily maze of traffic.

Things change and habits are turned upside down. Herbert Ganado's Rajt Malta Tinbidel gives readers a clear image of what things looked like in Malta then and now in a way that some instances, certain traditions and old ways of doing things sound hilarious.

The same thing has happened with business. Old practices have become obsolete or ineffective while new trends have seeped in and become part of the day-to-day run of the mill.

Limited liability companies, mergers, takeovers, going public and bond issues are things we hear about every day and business is not considered as something for the select few any more.

Anybody can become a businessman. Banks have capital flowing in and out, more out than in, to create new ventures and investments. American business habits have become dogma, we watch Biznews on CNN and Squawk Box on CNBC and all we talk about today is marketing, forecasts, hedge funds, etc.

All this has had its repercussions in the retail sector, which is after all the targeted end of any business venture. Until some time ago, shops in Malta were predominantly bazaar-type outlets or shops selling anything that came their way.

I remember a photo of my grandfather's shop with a notice saying that it was the best shop for hosiery, perfumes, greeting cards and cutlery. In the Eighties, many shop owners became aware of the change in the customer pattern of shopping, and the need to specialise rather than try and cater to everyone's needs was recognised. Shops specialising in underwear, fragrance, greeting cards, etc. with a variety of brands and ideas started to flourish.

Today we have gone one step further and we talk of niche markets. There are shops which cater for teen clothing, people with obesity problems, camping enthusiasts, collectable model cars etc.

Most shopowners realise that they have to change while others still think that what made money yesterday will keep on making it. One day they will be surprised.

Besides, there have been other changes in the way customers make purchasing decision. Until some time ago the customer used to look at price, quality, and perhaps country of origin. Today, the customer takes a close look at brand.

Price and quality are a consequence of the brand while the country of origin has become immaterial. You get Nike shoes made in Vietnam and Ralph Lauren shirts made in Malaysia. But who cares, so long as they have the right logo printed on them? The brand is a guarantee in itself.

All these changes have occurred in a relatively short time and while many businessmen in Malta have taken note and acknowledged the facts, the authorities seem to be still living in the Dark Ages with little or no real understanding of the changes that need to accompany the retail revolution which has taken place.

Just to give an example, much of the new Trading Licences Act, published at the beginning of the year, is based on the idea that shops should sell anything 'sellable'. So a shop might be predominantly a souvenir shop but can sell anything under the sun from washing machines to watches, mobile phones, postcards, perfume and more.

The more the merrier, the more you have, the more you sell. To add insult to injury, shops like these are considered to be tourist shops and are given the right to open late at night and even on Sunday.

All these changes are taking place and there is still talk about supporting generic shops, which is not wrong in itself, unless it goes against shops which specialise in selling specific items.

Therefore, a so-called souvenir shop in Bugibba can open all day up till ten at night and even on Sunday, but a designer boutique cannot. On any day of the week, except Friday, all generic shops in Bugibba are open till late but my perfumery is closed because it is a 'specialised' shop falling under a category which is not blessed by God.

Theoretically speaking, many of the shops which open till late at night are breaking the law. But since nobody files a report with the police, no action is taken.

So, what does an honest Maltese shopowner do? He goes to the parliamentary secretary concerned and tries to get some form of understanding or empathy.

No such luck. What you get is a lecture on the new law governing trading in Malta and a business consultancy to the tune of "you should have opened a souvenir shop".

So he goes to the GRTU and expects to get some solidarity from the official body representing shopowners in Malta. The union conducts an opinion survey of Bugibba shop owners and surprise, surprise: the result is that owners of perfumery shops in Bugibba don't want to open late at night. Yet there is only one real perfumery in Bugibba.

And so the shopowner goes to all the contact persons he can remember, ministers, lawyers, people well versed in the political arena and he always gets the same reply - "But in Bugibba all the shops open late".

June and July are over and this poor shopowner is still waiting for some solution. There are two options: one either keeps up with the trend of the day and the practice of being a real perfumery with the consequence of being reported and closed after 7 p.m., or else play the game and turn the shop into a 'souvenir shop' or bazaar and so get the necessary blessing.

Imagine a Lacoste boutique selling hand-made lace and Franks the Perfumery selling 'I love Malta' T-shirts. Unbelievable but true!

Mr Abela is managing director of Franks the Perfumery