Major new stores open in town

Thursday 19 April 2018

A new Co-op Locale store is opening its doors today at Charing Cross, after 121 weeks of building works.

A new Alliance superstore will also be opening on Broad Street, in the former Pound Magic premises, bringing the number of Alliance stores in the island up to four.

The new Alliance store will have a range of Tesco and branded products, as well as “food to go”, including hot food, self-serve salad bar, bakery, sandwiches, salads and sushi. A new Tesco non-food offering including cooking utensils, pots and pans, storage solutions, stationary, bedding, bathroom accessories, and a range of scented candles, will also be stocked.

The new Co-Op opening coincides with that of the King Street entrance of Pitt Street. The historic buildings at the rear of the site were gifted by the CI Co-op society  to The National Trust for Jersey. It is hoped the site, which is the location of the first Premier Inn with a 91-bedroom hotel, will eventually become a blend of restored heritage buildings and new modern retail units. 

Pictured: The new Alliance store will be located in the former Pound Magic premises.

Colin Macleod, Chief Executive Officer of The Channel Islands Co-operative Society commented: "The regeneration of Charing Cross is the largest development project we have ever undertaken and it breathes new life into an important part of St Helier.  I am personally delighted that this scheme has come to fruition. It has been a long and tough journey to get here but we have delivered new investment, new jobs and a really exciting new store for our members and the community in St Helier. There are too many people to thank individually but this was a really good example of regeneration through co-operation."

He added: "Today is an historic day, for many reasons, not least because of the Society’s long relationship with the Charing Cross site but also for the island generally given the site is steeped in Jersey history. But today is also about celebrating a contemporary new Locale store at the heart of St Helier. We have taken the opportunity to ensure we are providing customers with a state of the art shopping experience, with an array of Food-to-Go options, chilled beverages, space to grab a coffee. I am confident that whether our members need a quick stop or a big shop, the new store is designed to suit all their requirements."