Infuriated shop owners have “given up” hoping for a solution to the problem of temporary stalls they face every time annual events, such as Valentine’s Day, approach.
Stalls in the shape of small tents and tables popped up at every corner of the island this week, ahead of Valentine’s Day today.
In some cases, the vendors propped their wares, mainly flowers and soft toys, against chairs in empty parking bays to ensure prospective customers would have a place where to leave their cars when stopping to make a purchase.
The issue has persisted for many years, with shop owners complaining they were forced to compete with street vendors who did not have to adhere to the same strict regulations on operations.
The CEO of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), Abigail Mamo, said the issue was “a nightmare” and there was little hope it would be resolved.
The street vendors seemed to become greedier every year, going from blocking one corner to taking up an entire pavement
The GRTU, she added, had discussed the matter with the authorities for years but to no avail.
“There are too many loopholes and it’s an administrative nightmare. We’ve given up trying to sort the problem out even though the issues get worse every year,” she said.
Ms Mamo noted that the street vendors were often in possession of a permit obtained from the local council although these only applied to those setting up stalls during village feasts.
She reported that, apart from a decline in sales, businesses were also furious that the street vendors were openly disregarding health and safety regulations and, in most cases, also caused traffic problems.
“While shop owners must ensure they abide by all health and safety and traffic management regulations, these vendors simply set up their stalls wherever they please,” she remarked.
Worse, she continued, the street vendors seemed to become greedier every year, going from blocking one corner to taking up an entire pavement.
Though both the GRTU and its members lost hope that the issue could be resolved given the regulations in force, Ms Mamo said her organisation was working on addressing the matter by ensuring that the practice was properly regulated when the new rules governing open markets were introduced. Talks on this, she said, were under way with the authorities involved.
She was quick to point out, however, that the GRTU would not accept a situation where the regulator and the enforcer were not the same body as was the case at present and which was ultimately the root of the problem.
“You cannot have one body making the rules and another enforcing them, even if the enforcers are the police. Though we appreciate their work, the police simply do not have the resources to handle this,” Ms Mamo said.