THE Coop has engaged a security company to police parking at its Millennium Park store following what it described as “misuse” of the car park by non-shoppers and “intimidation and abuse” towards its staff.
In a statement released on social media, the Coop sought to reassure genuine customers by extending parking to three hours – or four in the case of blue badge holders – but it said that charges could be imposed on those who exceeded the limits by more than 15 minutes or parked improperly.
“As the largest free car park in St Helier, we’ve experienced a significant increase in non-shoppers using our spaces for extended periods, sometimes blocking emergency exits, taking up multiple spaces, or obstructing access to our private-rented parking area.
“This misuse limits access for genuine customers, blue badge holders, and our own colleagues, who often face challenging situations when addressing these issues,” the statement read.
“To ensure spaces remain available for genuine customers and those visiting our building, we initially reminded users to keep spaces open for shoppers. Unfortunately, due to incidents of intimidation and abuse toward our colleagues, we’ve had to engage a professional security company to help manage the car park more effectively.”
The Coop said it wanted to clarify the position following discussions on local Facebook pages about parking charges at the Millennium Park store.
It said: “We understand the costs and challenges of parking in town and strive to support the community wherever possible. However, this cannot come at the expense of our genuine customers’ parking needs or the costs of providing free parking for legitimate shoppers.
“When using our free parking, please either remain in-store, shop, or enjoy a coffee to keep spaces available for those who need them.
“Our priority is to keep our car park welcoming and accessible for all genuine customers.
“Thank you for your understanding and co-operation in helping us maintain convenient parking for everyone.”
The Coop added that if customers who were issued with parking charges could produce a receipt to show they were shopping in the building at the time, its security partners Atlantic Security Services, would review their case and might cancel the charge.
