Opened in 2004, Main Street Shopping Complex has just welcomed its 10 millionth customer. Bettina talks about what reaching this milestone means for the complex.
Q1: 14 years after opening its doors, Main Street is currently celebrating an important milestone. What’s the meaning behind this successful achievement?
During these 14 years, Main Street has grown from a relatively small shopping complex to one of the leading ones in Malta, offering various local and international brands all under one roof. Throughout the years, it became our mission to try and diversify the type of shops one can find at Main Street, to meet our customers’ demands. By including various high-quality brands, together with modern entertainment facilities in a comfortable and safe environment, we became a popular shopping and entertainment destination for many, ranging from teenagers to seniors as well as families. All this makes us proud of the work done in the past years and for the results we have achieved.
Q2:Â Were there any major changes made to the complex or diversity of shops in recent years?
A major change was made in 2012, when we extended the existing building to accommodate new brands, including our largest store, Debenhams, which is spread over 3 floors. In the past few months, new brands have opened their doors at Main Street, including the popular international brand Flying Tiger Copenhagen and Bottega Verde, who opened their first concept store in Malta at our very own complex.
Such has joined other leading brands including Accessorize, Pull & Bear, Pimkie, The Model Shop, Peacocks and Sterling Jewellers who all had stores set up at Main Street for a number of years.
We also believe that entertainment is crucial in a shopping complex and therefore, in 2016 we added a 450sqm Laser Tag amusement area to complement our other entertainment facilities, including the Bingo and gaming area, as well as the cafeteria on the roof terrace. All these facilities are spread over five floors and are serviced by an underground carpark.
Q3: What are Main Street’s credentials towards Corporate Social Responsibility?
Our community is of prime importance to us, as we believe that shopping complexes such as ours must work hand in hand with the community and be an agent for change, in order to help and improve peoples’ lives.
For instance, we recently approved plans to invest in green energy as part of our efforts towards establishing a cleaner environment. As a result of this investment, the complex will be getting most of its energy from solar power, while all common parts’ lighting will be changed to energy-efficient ones.
We have also embarked on a project to separate all the waste generated by shops and customers who visit the Complex.
Over the years, we also embarked on various initiatives to support various charitable organisations and associations within our community.
Q4: Where do you see Main Street heading in the next couple of years?
Our main objective is to offer customers the very best brands in a comfortable and attractive environment. We plan on keeping an eye on our mix of brands, to ensure we always meet our market demands.
The Paola square project, which will be completed soon, will definitely aid the business community, by offering a modern and safer environment for those visiting this locality.
Also, support of our community will remain to be a staple in our present as well as future plans for the complex.
We will also keep an eye on any investment prospects that may be beneficial, both for the company as well as for the public.
The future looks bright and we’re prepared and excited to carry on bettering our premises for the thousands of customers who visit Main Street on a weekly basis.
Bettina Azzopardi is the Managing Director of Paola Complex Ltd, the company which operates Main Street Shopping Complex. She has been in this role since 2008.
This interview was published on www.maltatoday.com.mt on 12 April 2018.
