The president of the St Malo Chamber, Youenn Le Boulc’h, vice-president Jacques Videment, and director general Patrick Charpy have recently visited the Island with a view to strengthening commercial links between Brittany and Jersey.
Andrew Goodyear, chief executive of the Jersey Chamber, said it had been a few years since the two parties had got together.
Although there were many interests in common, the St Malo Chamber was a much larger operation, with a staff of around 250, with responsibility for running both the port and the airport.
‘We feel there is a bit of an untapped opportunity – people tend to look north, rather than south.
With the money currently being invested in tourism in Brittany and the new fast train connection to Paris, it should attract more visitors – and why not tap into some of that new business for Jersey?’ added Mr Goodyear.
The immediate goal is to identify and try to help overcome the possible barriers that currently exist, which includes language.
‘People can get by in French, but that’s not the same as being able to discuss business deals,’ he said.
