Valletta shop owners have reported a slight decrease in sales but business is booming in Sliema, according to comments gathered by the General Retailers and Traders Association.

GRTU official Carmen Borg said these were preliminary findings based on comments by shop owners and not the full-blown survey, which will be carried out and published after the Christmas holidays.

Mrs Borg said the comments came from Valletta and Sliema shop owners, some of whom own outlets in other localities. The best day for sales was 8 December, a public holiday. Paola shops also seem to be doing well.

One of the main concerns shop owners mentioned was the ever growing phenomenon of online shopping. Several clothes shops reported that, due to the relatively warm weather, sales of winter clothes and shoes has not yet picked up. On the other hand, electronics sales have been doing well since November.

Confectionery shops are doing particularly well, as they always do during this time of the year, said Mrs Borg.