More than 3,600 business and shop owners have already applied to join FAIR, the fair-pricing agreements in retailing initiative, a response which National Euro Changeover Committee spokesman Melvyn Mangion referred to as “overwhelming”.
In fact, the NECC has had to engage more people to process applications, as the committee did not expect such a high response, said Mr Mangion.
While about 1,700 outlets have been already FAIR-accredited, a few hundred are awaiting NECC accreditation and the rest are still in the process of implementing all the requirements laid down by the initiative, said Mr Mangion.
FAIR was introduced by way of a pilot project last December, when nine large companies joined forces and committed themselves to display correct prices in both Maltese lira and euro according to the central parity rate of Euro1:Lm0.4293.
The NECC then launched the initiative during the second week of January, when it started receiving applications from retail outlets and service providers who showed an interest in the FAIR initiative.
“Since then, the NECC has not stopped receiving emails and calls on Euro Helpline 154,” said Mr Mangion.
Some 70 euro assistants have been visiting business outlets, informing them about the FAIR requirements.
Shop owners are required to implement at least one form of dual display, either on individual items, or by means of conversion tables that may be downloaded from www. euro.gov.mt
Mr Mangion explained that euro assistants then return to the retail outlets to ensure that the business and shop owners have actually carried out a correct dual display of prices and it is then that they may be officially FAIR-accredited.
Upon accreditation, business owners are given a starter pack, including conversion booklets for distribution to customers, a FAIR sticker, conversion tables and a currency converter.
Mr Mangion said that the NECC has ordered a consignment of dual display price guns that will soon be made available to FAIR-accredited business owners.
The FAIR initiative has the official support of the main associations representing business and shop owners, namely the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), the Malta Federation of Industry (FOI), the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) and the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA).
Mr Mangion said this was probably one of the main reasons why the FAIR initiative has been so popular among retailers and service-providers alike.
While the FAIR initiative will be valid until October this year, the dual display of prices will be mandatory between July this year and June 2008.
The NECC will soon be issuing a newsletter in Maltese listing all the FAIR-accredited outlets and also including information on the changeover in general.
Mr Mangion expressed satisfaction that the European Commission has asked the NECC to pass on information to Cyprus regarding the FAIR initiative and other measures introduced as a means of ensuring a smooth changeover.
Like Malta, Cyprus is also awaiting the go-ahead from the European Commission to adopt the euro by January next year.
Mr Mangion said the fact that Cypriot authorities might be adopting certain practices implemented by the NECC was very encouraging and augured well for the smoothest possible transition from the Maltese lira to the euro.