More than a third of businesses saw increased sales last year compared to 2015, according to a new study by the GRTU.

A smaller percentage - 29 per cent - said their sales had declined, with the majority of those blaming increased local competition, sales lost to online shopping and illicit trading, while 36 per cent said their sales had remained stable.

Traffic and a lack of parking facilities were also commonly mentioned as a reason for diminished sales, according to the survey of 175 businesses in various sectors, carried out in the last month.

Among the 35 per cent of businesses reporting an improvement in 2016, the majority cited the introduction of new services or products, better consumer spending power, reduced prices and staff training.

The Christmas season appears to have been a mixed one for retailers, with survey results showing nearly half of those affected by the festive season declaring themselves satisfied with the outcome, and half reporting a dissatisfactory or neutral season.

Retailers, meanwhile, seem to be getting on board with Black Friday, a US shopping phenomenon in November: 28 per cent said they had offered some promotions on the day last year, and 30 per cent said they would do so this year. Nearly half of those who took part in 2016 said they had seen a small increase in sales on the day, while 30 per cent reported even better results.

The study also shows that Maltese retailers continue to shy away from moving their business online, with only 22 per cent selling over the internet despite the introduction of new government e-commerce grants.

Among those yet to make the leap, the most common reason was products that could not be sold online or a client base not accustomed to online shopping, while others mentioned the difficulty of keeping an updated website or competing with online prices.