“DISCUSSIONS with various parties” are to take place in a bid to secure the future of the TGI Fridays site in St Helier, the landlord for the Waterfront complex has revealed.
Jersey’s branch was among dozens of TGIs restaurants which closed abruptly at the start of this week after the parent company was only partly successful in seeking buyers for the chain as a means of warding off administration.
Hostmore Group announced on Monday that it had sold 51 of the 87 sites to Breal Capital and Calveton UK, but that the remaining 36 locations – including St Helier – would be closed.
The news was the latest blow to the Waterfront, of which TGIs had been an ever-present feature since opening in late 2012. Other venues including Pizza Hut, Acadia, THE Bar and WYSIWYG have also closed in recent years.
Jersey Development Company, which owns the site, responded with a statement, saying it was “saddened to hear the recent news regarding TGI Fridays immediate closure of its Waterfront premises”.
The statement added: “JDC is reviewing options for the site and will be engaging in discussions with various parties to plan the next steps for the future of the site.”
JDC last month outlined plans for the Waterfront following the news of TGI Fridays’ woes saying that vacant units would shortly be occupied again.
At the time, a spokesperson said: “There are three vacant units on the Waterfront – THE Bar and Pizza Hut remain let to tenants who are choosing not to reopen, while the former Arcadia and WYSIWYG units are currently being refitted and JDC will be making an announcement shortly on the new use. In 2023, JDC reached an agreement to retain Cineworld at the Waterfront. However, as stated at the time, it is very much a case of use it or lose it – if usage drops below 180,000 visits per year, then Cineworld has the ability to exit without penalty.”
The statement added that the three major operators at the Waterfront – Cineworld, Aquasplash and Fitness First – collectively attract more than half a million visits per year.
TGI Fridays was founded in 1965 in New York, with the first UK store opening in Birmingham in the 1980s.
