Jubilee CEO is Malta’s international champion at European SME Week

Jubilee Group of Companies chief executive Alex Scicluna is to be Malta’s representative among Europe’s small international businesses at this year’s European SME Week later this month.

Mr Scicluna will participate in events in Brussels between October 15 and 21 where he will showcase a Maltese internationalisation success story. Along with other European entrepreneurs, he will be recognised for his endeavours at a ceremony on October 17. In Brussels, Mr Scicluna will participate in workshops and networking sessions where peers will share experiences and knowledge.

Mr Scicluna, who fronts the family business which includes the Jubilee cafe bistros in Victoria, Gzira, Valletta, and Budapest, Jubilee Foods, and Marsalforn’s Murella, has worked tirelessly to build the Jubilee brand since it first appeared in the Gozitan capital 15 years ago.

The three Scicluna brothers’ first step towards ‘internationalisation’ involved expanding the Jubilee chain from Gozo to Malta, overcoming significant logistical challenges. In 2010, Jubilee expanded to Budapest with a flagship cafe bistro, and even ventured to Asia where it enjoyed a very successful stint at the Shanghai World Expo that year.

Mr Scicluna features in the 2012-13 brochure themed ‘The secret of success 2012-13 – European SMEs as International Champions’.

In the foreword, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, says the “inspirational entrepreneurs in the brochure prove that you do not have to start big to have a big impact”.

He emphasises how international success is within the reach of Europe’s small businesses and how those which went beyond their borders were more competitive, innovative and entered a virtuous circle leading to even greater success.

The highest growth rates, he added, may lie in wait in unexplored areas which are not inaccessible. Technology allowed entrepreneurs and managers to collaborate in new ways. But so far, only one in four European SMEs export to the continent and only 13 per cent export outside Europe.

“The single market is not yet complete for online commerce and many service providers encounter obstacles and bureaucracy when trying to expand beyond their home country,” Antonio Tajani writes, adding, “The single market offers a good platform for European companies to internationalise. Common standards across Europe create opportunities to enter national markets and to become more global companies.”

The Brussels programme includes the European SME Week Summit on October 17 with the theme ‘Women’s Entrepreneurship’.

European SME Week is coordinated by the European Commission and aims to promote enterprise across Europe in line with the Small Business Act for Europe with activities in 37 countries.

The events are organised by business organisations and national, regional and local authorities to enable companies to share their experiences and develop further. More than 1,500 events were held across the continent last year.