How the Schembri family is building its next chapter under SALV Group

Nearly 50 years after Saviour Schembri began building businesses in Malta, his four children have launched SALV Group – a Maltese holding company that brings the family’s growing business portfolio under a single shared identity, with no change in ownership.

“Our father built these businesses with his own hands, and he built them to last,” says SALV Group Managing Director, Fran Schembri. “It’s now our responsibility to carry his legacy forward with the same passion and integrity that built it.”

SALV Group’s commitment to endurance reflects the legacy of its founder. The group’s story began in 1977, when the late Saviour Schembri co-founded Schembri Brothers Ltd, a company specialising in road and property construction. He expanded the business in 1988 with the establishment of Schembri Barbros Ltd and Barbros Group, alongside his brothers. With activities spanning major road infrastructure projects, manufacturing and recycling, today their businesses form one of Malta’s leading and most established groups in the sector.

In 1989, he established a separate venture for his four children, bringing together property development, rental and sales operations, alongside the Pitstop brand.

“SALV builds on the foundations established by Barbros,” says Mr Schembri, who remains actively involved in Barbros Group. “My father started Barbros, and that legacy is something we continue to honour through SALV Group. The two are distinct, but remain closely connected – my brother Ephraim serves as a Director within Barbros, while SALV Group holds a shareholding in Barbros Group.”

Following Saviour’s passing in 2018, his four children – Fran Schembri, Ephraim Schembri, Claudine Barbara and Josepha Guntrip – began consolidating that portfolio into a coherent structure, in which every business remains wholly family-owned, with no external investment. The siblings each hold directorial roles, leading operations across SALV Group.

“This isn’t a corporate restructure, but simply a family formalising what has always been true,” says Mr Schembri. “Nothing has changed in who we are or how we operate. We’re giving it a name that reflects the full picture.”

While the business remains unchanged at its core, its new shared identity provides structure to a diverse portfolio, now organised across six pillars.

SALV Properties covers property development, commercial sales and rental accommodation across Malta. In an approach deliberately in contrast with others in a market increasingly dominated by off-plan sales, SALV Properties sells only finished properties – allowing buyers to visit the completed block and see the finishes before they decide. “It comes down to trust,” Mr Schembri says. “We never ask anyone to buy something they can’t see. That’s how we’ve always worked.”

The Pitstop fuel stations in Attard, Ħal Għaxaq and Marsaskala are operated by SALV Fuel; while SALV Auto imports and distributes car care products and accessories, including brands such as Petronas, Autoglym and FÖRCH, to trade, retail and professional clients. Rounding out the group’s current portfolio, SALV Ventures manages strategic investments and joint ventures – including SALV Group’s shareholding in Barbros Group.

Two further pillars are in development. The group is expanding into hospitality through SALV Hospitality, with the launch of a major international lifestyle brand in Q3 of this year, supported by agreements with a leading global hotel chain across multiple brand tiers. In parallel, it is entering the elderly care sector through SALV Care, with the completion of its first 230-room project expected by the last quarter of 2028. Further announcements are anticipated in the coming months.

These plans are set to drive a substantial expansion in the workforce, with a projected headcount exceeding 500 employees within the next two to three years – growth in alignment with SALV Group’s continued expansion across property, energy and services.

The endurance and entrepreneurial spirit behind this Maltese family-owned holding company, Mr Schembri reiterates, will now steer the group into its next chapter.

“SALV Group is the next step in Saviour Schembri’s story – his four children working together to give structure to what has always been a family enterprise,” he adds. “We are continuing to build on what he started – a legacy five decades in the making that, under SALV Group, is now positioned to endure for generations to come.”

To find out more about SALV Group, visit www.salvgroup.com.