Government officials have been touring the UK in a bid to tempt big-name retailers to the island to help revive the high street – and five “well-known” brands have reportedly shown interest so far.
During question time in the States Assembly on Tuesday, Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel outlined efforts to attract new businesses and promote Jersey as a retail destination amid a record-high number of empty shops on the high street.
He said that government officers have been attending retail conferences in the UK where they have distributed brochures to highlight the advantages of setting up in Jersey.
These include high annual footfall of 7.5 million and low crime rates — factors the Minister said had previously been overlooked by some retailers but are now being reconsidered.
It comes after a survey conducted last year found that the top request from respondents was for more affordable high-street brands, with H&M, Zara and The Range mentioned 222 times in the Jersey Retail Report for 2023.
“We need to sell Queen Street”
“It’s first important to state that Jersey has a good occupation rate, but the vacancy rate has risen to just high of 10% the past month, and that is the highest on record,” the Minister said.
“We need to sell Queen Street. We need to advertise it to potential retailers who would want to potentially take up premises.”
He continued: “We have engaged with retailers in the UK, and we have interest from five well-known retail brands about coming to Jersey who previously had not considered the island until we approached them.
“We approached them through a kind of conference format, and my officers were armed with a brochure, which told prospective tenants in Jersey about the benefits of retail over here, such as the very high footfall, very low crime and other benefits.
“I’m very pleased that we have engaged, and there are a number of retailers now actively looking at St Helier with regard to the Waterfront. That is very much in the hands of SOJDC.”
What’s in the plan?
His comments come just weeks after a plan to turn around the fortunes of town was published.
The Future Fit Retail Roadmap proposed introducing a digital system to make it easier for tourists to claim back GST on their shopping.
It also included a suggestion to create a PR agency to promote the town and improve the shopping experience.
Another proposal was a voluntary ‘Business Improvement District’ scheme, which would ask businesses to contribute additional funds towards improvements in the local area.
Other plans included repurposing vacant shops for alternative uses, such as cafés or fitness spaces, through changes to planning regulations.
The roadmap also encourages businesses to adopt flexible practices, such as extending opening hours or combining uses – for example, operating as a shop during the day and a fitness space at night.
The Economy Department is set to work with Planning Policy officers to recommend changes that would allow for more flexibility with changes of use.