Hex in the city

Valletta retailers, who are experiencing a drop in sales, have welcomed an initiative to remain open throughout the weekend but consider the incentive to be a drop in the ocean.

The Valletta Super Shopping Weekend, which starts today, is aimed at kick-starting Christmas shopping in the city, with extended opening hours until 9 p.m. and up to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The event could alleviate the situation temporarily given that, plagued by problems of parking, accessibility and development, many are avoiding Valletta as a shopping destination.

According to Embassy Complex managing director Bettina Azzopardi, “Valletta has obviously seen much better days”, with the “biggest blow” being the launch of Arriva.

She pointed to a lack of communication on accessibility, highlighting insufficient marketing on how to enter Valletta and where to park.

“Things were changed radically and change is feared. Those who do not work in the city are confused and uncertainty puts them off. Their perception of Valletta’s inaccessibility is probably worse than reality,” she said, calling for a “big” education campaign to change people’s habits and convince them it is possible to access the city.

“We have made several recommendations to the government to improve accessibility but they have been disregarded,” she said.

Ms Azzopardi argued it was not the discounts that would attract the shoppers but the convenience of shopping in Valletta. She encouraged the weekend initiative but felt it was short lived and just “the tip of the iceberg”.

Theresa Bartolo Parnis, owner of Monsoon Kids and Accessorize in Valletta, said the decrease in footfall in the capital could not be denied and that last year’s targets were not being reached.

Nevertheless, she was optimistic about the local council’s initiative, saying any action was always positive.

“We expect the authorities to assume responsibility and take measures when development projects, which are also welcome, cause retailers to suffer. We cannot be subjected to this and left to deal with it,” she said.

Ms Bartolo Parnis was hopeful the transport situation would be resolved since Arriva’s Valletta routes were being reintroduced.

Marlene Seychell, who also owns a number of retail outlets in the capital, including Miss Selfridge and Promod, admitted the situation was “not good” and that business had dropped drastically – ever since the introduction of the CVA.

Referring to the “appalling” bus service, she said that even if the Valletta hub was being reinstated, it was yet to be seen whether buses would be entering every 15 minutes or every two hours.

Ms Seychell said retailers needed business to increase consistently and not just over one weekend. “We need permanent solutions. It is too costly to constantly create such events. We want the public to want to shop in Valletta not only because the business community is marketing it and offering discounts to entice shoppers.”

The initiative was a “start” and a “positive, proactive, collective effort”, according to George Larry Zammit, marketing manager of Arkadia, which has four outlets in Valletta. “Every little helps,” he said.

The economic climate was also contributing to the decline in Valletta business but parking remained the major headache, with retailers also complaining that residents parked in the white boxes that non-locals could use.

A way of improving the situation – and consequently business – would be to increase the number of white boxes, shifting them to the main roads or preventing residents from using them.

But Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli, who launched the Super Shopping Weekend yesterday, said residents had a right to park there too and sometimes had no choice.

The majority of shops, over 50, are participating in the event and offering discounts of up to 50 per cent, Dr Dingli said.

Arriva is supporting the event by aiming to increase routes according to demand, while the ferry service between Sliema and Valletta has been reduced to €1.