Retailers’ concern over town’s ‘forgotten’ road

Retailers’ concern over town’s ‘forgotten’ road

Several retailers have warned that the general movement of workers to the southern end of St Helier, with the opening of the Jersey International Finance Centre, is having a serious impact on their businesses.

Nicola Vaudin, who runs Just 4U Beauty and Nail Bar, says she has seen a steady decline in the street during the ten years she has run the company.

And she added that last year the situation worsened when companies including BNP Paribas moved to the Jersey International Finance Centre on the Esplanade, which she says led to a drop in footfall in the area.

‘More should have been done to counteract the loss of customers in the area when companies moved to the Esplanade.

‘I think there should have been more of an effort made to make the street more attractive to people. The street looks very run down and tired and could look almost derelict if more shops close down.

‘I’m quite lucky that I have built up a good clientèle over the years but I have had people who used to work nearby, and moved to the JIFC, say that they just can’t come to us anymore because it’s that bit too far. So business has been affected for a lot of the retailers on the street.’

Nicola Vaudin

La Motte Street, which runs from Hill Street to a junction that connects four roads including Grosvenor Street and St Saviour’s Road, is home to the Government’s Customer and Local Services Department as well as smaller independent retailers. But while there are some apartment blocks on the street, the area can often feel ‘dead’ according to Mrs Vaudin.

She added: ‘It often feels as though the area has been forgotten about. I personally feel the entire street should be pedestrianised as people just seem to forget we are there.’

Mark Pickford, who has run a cycle shop on La Motte Street for 20 years, feels the root cause of the problem is a lack of interest from the government.

He said: ‘In the entire time I have run a shop in Jersey, I have never seen the high street this bad. It feels as though we are fighting a losing battle.

‘GST is one of the worst things to have happened to retailers here. It means we cannot compete with the internet. Not only is it making it hard to make a living, it is fast becoming hard for retailers to survive.’

Mr Pickford also says that the issue goes beyond bad policy-making and suggests the issue is part of a broader issue within Jersey’s society.

He said: ‘Jersey politicians are not interested in middle-class or working people anymore. They only care about the interests of wealthy people and the millionaires in the Island, who probably don’t even visit the high street as much as regular Islanders would.

‘Rents are horrendous, people’s wages haven’t gone up, so it is honestly no surprise that shops have started to close at the rate which they have.

‘Politicians need to wake up and listen to what retailers have to say. Sometimes it really feels as though the town is dying on its feet.

‘But as I said, GST is the real killer for so many of us, and when retailers put it to politicians, they don’t seem to care because they think we add a massive margin, which we don’t. So smaller businesses like me can’t absorb that margin.

‘I find people come in and pick your brain more and more and then go away and buy it cheaper online.

‘It’s really depressing to be honest,’ Mr Pickford added.

Arthur Le Cornu, who has owned Furniture World Express on La Motte Street for 12 years, said that while his business was still doing quite well, he would like to see improvements made to the area.

Arthur Le Cornu

He said: ‘We are still very busy thankfully and we haven’t noticed that much of a change in footfall. People who want furniture will find you and, being honest, I wasn’t too worried when a few shops began to close down but I think the area could be improved.

‘I think the lack of parking in the area is problematic. Some people seem to think the area should be pedestrianised, which is where I would draw the line, as I don’t think it would help matters.’

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