Let's go shopping!

Shopping in Malta and the best places to grab a bargain

Despite the island’s small size, it has a plethora of clothes shops available to suit each and every one’s needs. From local, independent boutiques, to some of the bigger high street names, Malta has a wide variety of clothing, accessories – you name it – on offer.

It is nice that it is not just the large cities that will benefit from ‘good’ shopping complexes, as can be the case in Britain. Malta seems to have a great variety for everyone and this also means a great variety of prices on offer, depending on the budget one has.

In most places near to my home in Birkirkara, there are many independent shops down the main Valley Road, but it sees the majority of such shops actually in sale. I understand the sale summer period is rife at the moment, but, the reductions on offer at some of these shops is remarkable.

I have compiled a list of some of the cities that have the best shopping, that include various brands and business types.

Birkirkara

As I mentioned previously there are many shops down the Valley Road, which is the main road that runs through Birkirkara, as well as Triq Il-Naxxar. These shops are mainly independent businesses, with a few chain companies as well, such as Iceland. These independent shops carry more a customer-based service as these people are really working to get their money. It is quite sad to see that many people no longer support local brands, as I think it is something we all must embrace and is vital to our economy. Regardless, the majority of the clothing shops along this road are women’s fashion, with shops along Triq Il-Naxxar including, Orsay, Nuvole and Zuleika, all offer quite a similar range of women’s clothing. These shops are quite small, so they do have limited stock, however, when I have been in, there has always been something on offer that I have taken a fancy to.

There is also a shop that I have seen to be very popular, which is called Original Marines – which is a clothing store for young children and babies. I have seen many young mums walking into this store and coming out with bags of shopping for their young ones. I have never had reason to walk into this shop, however, since passing by on frequent occasions, it seems to be a popular spot.

If you’re a gym head, then Eurosport and Jungle will be the shops for you. These sportswear companies provide some high-quality gear, at reasonable prices. I have been inside to have a scour round the places but have never actually purchased anything from these stores. I will say however, from hearing passing conversation, the employees seemed very helpful in both these establishments.

Mosta

Constitution Street in Mosta houses a long shopping street, which varies in content from shop to shop. Shops such as; Adam’s, La Poupee and Zuri are some smaller independent businesses that have a similar offering of women’s and men’s clothing but seems to be slightly more expensive than that of the shops located in Birkirkara.

Centro Moda and Distorted Clothing probably have some of the best offerings in terms of quality and quantity, meaning that you will sure to be find something in either of these establishments.

Located further along Constitution Street are some places more for the male clientele. With shops such as Mexx and Bortex, there are a range of suits and smart-wear on offer. Bortex seems slightly higher end than that of Mexx, so depending on your budget and taste, you could opt for either of these shops and still probably find something that you liked.

Sliema

Probably one of the busiest shopping complexes is located in Sliema. There are many different streets and areas of the city that have a lot on offer for customers.

There are mainly high street shops in the city of Sliema, so this is probably a more functional place to shop in terms of quantity of shops on offer.

From the likes of Zara, Topshop, Matalan, Pandora, Fred Perry and Monsoon, the streets have a lot on offer for every customer type. Sometimes these shops can be slightly more expensive than those of independent business, however, that is to be expected sometimes with these large companies who can afford to charge more.

If you didn’t find anything within the bustling streets of Sliema then you can head over to The Point Mall, located on a spurn point of Sliema, which over looks some gorgeous views of Valletta.

The Point Mall has a lot of clothing brands on offer such as;

• Adidas

• Armani Jeans

• Bershka

• Debenhams

• Guess

• Hilfiger Jeans

• Lacoste

• Mango

• NewLook

• Pull and Bear

• River Island

• Stradivarius

• Terranova

The mall also has some great shops for food, technology, electronics, homeware etc.

Valletta

The capital city of Malta has some great shopping for all to see, with a wide variation of brands on offer, all at varying prices. Down the main street one will find many jewelers, tourist tat shops and a lot of independent retailers.

Moving further inward to the main city, there are some bigger names such as NewLook, Matalan and Topshop. But honestly, you could spend hours scouring every single shop in the capital – which I would actually very much recommend doing.

Malta International Airport

Undoubtedly you will be able to get some great deals whilst in the airport, as every item is tax free. So, this is the time to stock up on your favourite alcohol and perfume, as generally, the prices in the airport are cheaper than that of the high street.

Things such as clothing I would probably not purchase from the airport, as this is normally not as greatly discounted as some high street shops during the summer who are normally all in their sale period. So, grab the bargains whilst you are still in the streets of Malta, as this will typically save you quite a bit of money.

Paola

Another great place for high street shopping is Paola, more so the main street that runs through the city. The Main Street complex that is in Paola houses some great fashion forward shops such as;

• Accessorize

• Debenhams

• Peacocks

• Pull and Bear

• Pimkie

There are then other sport suppliers such as Quantum Sports, Puma and Di Milano that are located just off from the main road within Paola.

So retail wise, there is a lot on offer.