RETAILING
SHOPPING TILL YOU DROP… BY THE WAYSIDE?
Is the retail industry finding new ways to overcome threats like online shopping and the death of the high street. Who better for Giselle Borg Olivier to ask than Abigail Mamo, the CEO of the GRTU – Chamber for Small Businesses. In recent years, shopping malls have become a commonplace sight in Malta and Gozo with developments opting for the ‘under one roof’ convenience approach. Is this infrastructure seen as a threat to the standalone high street shops? Do consumers prefer one over the other?
26 - Money / Issue 45
The successful development of shopping malls has certainly increased competition both in terms of numbers and quality. There is, in fact, evidence that businesses in shopping malls have been faring better on the whole. This emerged from surveys carried out by the GRTU but also when
speaking to individuals who have their shops in both high streets and shopping malls. With today’s brisk pace of life consumers are looking for increased convenience and better-quality family time. Within shopping malls, consumers have access to numerous