Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have had a “devastating” year and struggled to keep their business afloat, with one business owner saying he was making just enough not to close shop.

Although the COVID-19 wage supplement helped businesses, there were other expenses that had to be seen to, Christian Covaci, co-owner of Nina Covaci Malta, said. Having had high hopes for 2021, he described the prevailing situation as “a disaster”.

As a non-essential business, clothing shops can reopen on April 26.

“We had high expectations for 2021, after a year of barely surviving,” he said.

“The vaccine was something to look forward to. But, more than a year after the pandemic outbreak, we are still in the same position.

“Expenses keep piling up... we are making just enough to not close.

“Rent is something we had to pay throughout 2020, except for a month because our landlord gave us an exemption,” he added.

Covaci said it was “depressing” seeing shops close down and argued that the only reason the family business survived was because they had set up an online website four years ago.

“Although sales are not nearly the same online, we still have a store to talk about. People who do not own a website must be doing even worse,” he said, adding that if the situation persists “we will no longer have a business to talk about by 2022”.

Covaci said that while he remains “very grateful” for the support the government offered, “there is no denying we are still in crisis”.

“The payments we received definitely helped us pull through but we can’t take more of this,” he said.

Desirée Spiteri, a director of Tunin Entertainment, which provides event planning services, said she was looking forward to June 1 as the day when work can resume. 

Last year was “devastating” as the pandemic hit at the busiest time for the business but the second ban on gathering and mass events made 2021 “even worse”.

“If June 1 is when we will be allowed to reopen, we need guidance, we need to know for sure so we can plan accordingly. Many of our clients, especially couples organising weddings, are banking on this deadline,” she said.

Spiteri said they were experiencing “waves of wedding cancellations... not just postponements”.