The government in a statement today welcomed Eurostat figures showing a 5.2% jump in retail sales in Malta last February compared to the same month last year.
The figure for Malta was almost twice the EU average and the second highest in the EU.
The latest data showed the fourth successive rise in retail trade in as many months and was consistent with European Commission findings that business confidence was rising, the government said.
It attributed the progress to its reduction of costs for businesses and the way how families had more disposable income.