Retailing

Industry

Retailing

The retail industry in Malta has experienced several changes since EU entry due to increased competition. CC assists clients in retail industry in Malta.

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Summary

As one of the most competitive and reactive industries, the retail industry in Malta has to be the most flexible of all industries to deal with changing consumer demands, industry and legal changes, market strengths and weaknesses, market diversification, consumer trends, and the varying mind of the end-customer in general. Issues such as fair competition, varying industry standards and more demanding safety standards have marked many of the changes to the retail agenda, as has efficacy and sustainability following periods of fragmented economies. However, an ability to act quickly, productively and towards a cost-effective business model has seen many a business ride the downturns.

key contacts

ccmifsud@ccmalta.com +356 2205 6298

Dr. Charlene Mifsud

Partner

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The Retail Industry in Malta

The Maltese retail distribution sector is mostly made up of small local retail shops and street vendors (fruits and vegetables). Most of these are family owned. However, entry into the EU and the adoption of the Euro have changed the face of traditional local retailing and have paved the way for large European retailers and franchises to expand on the islands. While the retail industry in Malta is still by and large dominated by small trading companies, Malta’s entry into the EU has forced local traders to re-think their distribution strategies by opening the local market up to foreign competition. In fact, the last ten years have witnessed takeovers and mergers of local domestic shops with larger international entities.

Our Malta Retail Industry Team

Our Retail Industry specialised team can advise clients in their business start-up phase, including accounts set up, accounts management and forecasting; compliance; permit issues; franchise and intellectual property advice and tax advice. Our team of lawyers and tax advisors will ensure the business is set up and complaint with the main laws and regulations. Our Employment and Labour Team will facilitate the requirements for staffing, industrial disputes, and will provide consultancy on internal human resource issues.

This team, with its lawyers, accountants and tax advisors, offers advice regarding the retail industry in Malta which goes beyond the legal and financial considerations of this sector. We look at practical, logistical and every day issues and we tackle them with the client until these are ironed out. Typical clients include contractors and developers, high street and shopping centre units, cafeterias and restaurants, hotel operators and general importers and distributors.

Led by partner Dr Jean Philippe Chetcuti, the team has a deep awareness of the needs of the retail industry in Malta, as well as the leisure sectors, and the issues they face. Contemporary retail and leisure operators often have a globally spread presence, with most of our clients hailing from the UK, continental Europe and the US. We have represented international household-name brands and franchises in their real estate requirements, intellectual property protection needs and international structuring and tax issues. Our London office has also acted as an outreach platform that places us closer to our main clients in this industry, hence ensuring our maximum availability and presence in our clients’ projects.

Our Retailing Products

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Our Retailing Services

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Not only do Chetcuti Cauchi have experience, they’re academically proficient as well. They offer a wide variety of different expertise.

Chetcuti Cauchi has been doing many different aspects of IP work for us for several years, and I have always been more than satisfied with their work. All the people at the firm with whome I have been in contact have been very professional, efficient and quick in their efforts to assist us. Dr Maria Chetcuti Cauchi has always kept me well informed about every angel of the matters we have dealt with, extremely professional and I fully trust her advice and suggestions. Another thing which I have appreciated is her swift way of replying to our requests.I can highly recommend the firm Chetcuti Cauchi to anybody who needs IP advice on Malta.

My wife and I have an association with Chetcuti Cauchi since 2009. They assisted us with our original residence permit applications for Malta and since then have taken care of our annual income tax submissions and PR sticker / E-residence card renewals. They always handle our matters very efficiently and professionally. The consultants that work with us are friendly, helpful and very competent. They are familiar with the regulations and procedures in the related government departments, and this makes the process run extremely smoothly for us. We are very satisfied with the service we received from Chetcuti Cauchi and will continue to maintain our relationship with them in future. We can highly recommend them for any of the services that they offer.

Antoine is very professional and knows his field of expertise very well.

Chetcuti Cauchi has embraced a flexible and modern approach to hybrid working. Rather than prescribe a set number of office days, the firm empowers employees to exercise their judgement in how they manage their working schedule. So long as underlying principles of providing an excellent client service and a collaborative team environment are met, employees have a great degree of freedom in how, and where, they work.

I highly recommend the services of Chetcuti Cauchi. They assisted me as my appointed Resident Agent with the MDIA, they fully understood my requirements and also have a great reputation as a top law firm in Malta, making them an ideal chioce. They delivered my project on scedule, which had a tight deadline.

Jean-Philippe was a key advisor to me on the general European and in particular Maltese related tax, legal, accounting and secretarial aspects of a rather complex corporate group structure. We were operating in an extremely dynamic situation, and I was most grateful for his patience and understanding when we had to scrap the last idea and start all over again. He is highly professional, responsive and is excellent at finding practical solutions to difficult situations, whatever the time of day or night. He also has an excellent relationship with his team, and the service provided by his firm is intelligent, joined up and seamless. He is good humoured and imminently likeable and I look forward to working with him again in the future.

The professionalism and international collaboration of Chetcuti Cauchi’s team are a testament to their cohesive corporate culture. They are prompt in communication and consistently reliable, always delivering on their promises and never committing to tasks they cannot fulfil. This dependability gives us great peace of mind at the start of every project. In particular, we have been working with Magdalena Velkovska and Antoine Saliba Haig, who have been pivotal in building our trust in CC.

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates offers great ability and strength in handling and resolving difficult and complex matters.

I have had the pleasure of having Chetcuti Cauchi as my lawyers for my Maltese Citizenship application and also for property acquisition in Malta. I am extremely satisfied with their professionalism and attention to detail at all times making them, in my experience, one of the best law firms I have ever dealt with anywhere. I am truly honoured to be their client and shall continue to remain so.

Chetcuti Cauchi is a firm with very educated and knowledgeable lawyers and advisors.

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates is a very strong team with a great understanding of complex matters. They enjoy a profound knowledge and expertise.

Dr Natasha Cachia’s experience in Financial services in Malta were invaluable to Porterpays team as we establish our business here in Malta. They have worked in a professional manner and were constantly supportive and open to understand new innovative ways in payments and provided us with a stellar advice.

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Dr. Chetcuti has always shown great wisdom and knowledge. He’s remarkably courteous and client-oriented.

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates boasts an incredibly diverse and talented team. Everyone brings skills, knowledge and experience to the table, creating a dynamic and collaborative environment.

I approached Chetcuti Cauchi with the objective of establishing a company in order to provide public health information management services to collaborators throughout the European Union.From my first interaction with them through phone discussions and emails to ongoing communications and a visit to their offices in Valletta, I have been extremely pleased with their professionalism, competence, and timeliness.They have been very attentive to the specific needs of my company’s collaborations and have provided much-valued guidance and support both in establishing the company and in its ongoing operations.Iam very satisfied with the work so far, and look forward to more successful interactions in the future.