THE tradition of the Central Market closing at 2pm on a Thursday is now a thing of the past – following a government bid to revitalise town.
The early closure – a custom designed to give stallholders an afternoon to catch up on their bookkeeping, stocktaking and to carry out any maintenance work – has been scrapped as part of a government review, which found that shoppers wanted consistent opening and closing times.
The Jersey Markets Strategic Review highlighted that closing on Thursday afternoon made “little sense given that this is one of the busiest days of the week in St Helier”.
Late-night openings of two restaurants have also been extended this year following successful trials in 2023.
Spanish restaurant Casa Paco and the La Bouche are set to keep their doors open until 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and for special events such as Valentine’s Day, after being open late once a month last year.
Melanie May, co-owner of La Bouche, said: “It will be great to make the market a bit more lively in the evenings as it is so nice at night, and to make it a bit more like the London markets which are always really busy.”
Paco Lora, the founder of Casa Paco, also said he was feeling “very good” about the opportunity to open late every weekend.
“We opened up late once a month last year,” he explained. “We had a very positive response and it was really successful.”
The changes form part of a new drive to turn the Central Market into “the jewel in the crown of St Helier” by revitalising the market and increasing footfall.
Deputy Kirsten Morel said last year that he anticipated the “finished product” being completed by the end of 2026, with other initiatives including transforming the cobblestone unloading bay in Halkett Place into an outdoor dining area, along with the area next to the French Lane entrance near the market.
