A JERSEY retailer is warning that bringing Primark to the Island would mean that his shop and many others would be forced to close.
John Alker, who with daughter Jane owns Evolution in Halkett Place, said that Jersey was too small to have such a large store as Primark. He said: ‘You look at Woolworths and see how sad it is, and that same scenario might happen to more traditional Jersey shops if Primark comes here. ‘The feel among retailers is the same. We already try to provide quality products at a price that people can afford. Primark in a place with millions of people is OK, but not somewhere with 80,000 people.
‘I believe that the Jersey market is very shallow. It is a small Island and my view is that potentially a lot of local retailers would be affected if Primark comes over. I do believe that there is already fashion retail in Jersey at Primark prices.’
Mr Alker’s comments come after the JEP reported on the creation of the Facebook group, which was set up to try and bring Primark to Jersey. The We Want Primark in Jersey site was created by Stephanie Faudemer and now has 1,221 members. It states that it is a petition ‘for all the people who love Primark to try and get the States or whoever to build a Primark in Jersey’.
• Picture: John Alker, pictured at Evolution with his daughter, Jayne, says that the introduction of Primark would force their shop and others to close. Picture by Richard Wainwright (00606670)
Article posted on 13th December, 2008 - 10.00am
57 Article Comments
When we talk prices Primark is the best! Our salaries are not increasing but cost of living has gone through the roof. Primark will provide affordable all-round choice, e.g. reasonably priced school uniforms.
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some-one is scared of competition!
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Primark is a great shop and will help those you can’t afford the outrageous prices here in Jersey and being honest the quailty of the clothing is as good if not better than some of the shops here, to be honest I do the best part of my and my childrens clothes shopping on line or get friends in the UK to go to Primark or H&M where there is a wide variety of choices and certainly half the price because the shops here are far too over priced and as I said earlier the quaility of the clothing in some outlets leaves alot to be desired. So why object to a great idea!!!!!!!
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that’s because his stock is way overpriced for most of the population of Jersey and it might do shops like him good to have some competition!
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Its about time there was a bit of competition in Jersey and yes some of the retailers might wake up and realise they are away over priced in what they are selling as what they are selling you can bought in Primark for quarter of the price and in a majority of cases better quaility…..
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Personally I think the Islanders will benefit from having an affordable shop such as Primark and other retailers should not see it as a threat. I now live overseas but when I have visited the UK I head straight to Primark. Not only are the clothes affordable + well made, the sizing is correct, there is something for everyone nad it actually makes shopping a pleasure. Come on Jersey, in light of the ‘credit crunch’ give your people the chance to be able to purchase fashion at reasonable prices….
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As much as I don’t want to see local retailers go out of business times are hard and people want value and choice. Local shops have charged far too much for items that are available online for half the price, I would much rather shop locally but I’m not prepared to pay double for it. I would happily pay a premium to buy locally as I know that the cost of running a business in Jersey is higher but it’s not 100% higher!
Jersey retailers stop being so greedy and adapt to a changing market, I recently bought an LCD TV online for £640 that is for sale in the JEC at £1499 – who on earth still buys electrical goods locaally?
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I lived in Jersey for 25 years and never found a shop which was half as good as Primark, both for quality and price.
I will be visiting the Island next month and will be looking for the shops which John Alker says sell at the same price as Primark.
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The last thing we want in Jersey is a Primark, and yes I do shop in Primark.
Jersey is not large enough to support a Primark, for Primark to make money, there must be thousands of transactions a day, something 90,000 people cannot sustain
The reason most of us like Primark, is obviously the cost, but secondly you don’t see everyone in it. (hopefully) – Imagine everyone walking around in the same £1.50 t-shirt – we’d soon all be moaning then. Lets keep Primark to the UK, and go twice a year, keep airfares down and we can all enjoy a weekend away, shopping for bargains, and not bumping into half of King Street wearing the same.
Primark has caused a huge problem in the UK, with discarded clothes and excess rubbish/landfill. Rarely are Primark clothes handed down/handed into Charity shops- they’re not built to last, so where do the piles and piles of clothes go at the end of the season …………..just a thought !
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i bought 2 lovely fancy chair seats for £1.50 each about 10 years ago in dublin from penneys which now are primark,they were so cheap that i bought another 2 as i thought they wound,nt last long at that price,however i am still using the same 2 and they have been washed at least 4 times a year the other 2 are still in the wrappings,for when these 2 wear out……..
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Jackie, please understand that these pages are populated with people who want cheap clothes as long as nobody else is wearing the same item, lower costs but higher wages, falling house prices but only until they have bought a home. This is a wishlist rather than coherent thought.
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Lets get some competion and get rid of the over priced shops like Mr Alkers.
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Primark will never come here as they would not make any money due to population.What we need is a supermarket that has food and clothes at reasonable prices.If any shops fall by the wayside then “tough”as we have been paying over the odds for years and need another competitor.
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whats wrong with 4 to 8 pounds for a 20 to 30 pound pair of jeans?
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Probably the same thing that is wrong with using child labour to create these cheap goods.!!
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‘Jersey is not large enough to support a Primark, for Primark to make money, there must be thousands of transactions a day, something 90,000 people cannot sustain’
The Jersey store will not stand alone. The reason why Primark can be here is because of a simple economic term called ‘economies of scale’. Primark buys its products in bulk for its world wide stores as a result it can charge cheap prices due to the production cost of each item being lower. A Jersey store would just be one of thousands benefiting from this simple economic reason.
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well nothing really!
If you can live with the fact that their suppliers are using child labour to keep the wholesale price down.
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I think that with current financial pressures as they are I, and I’m sure others are too, am sick of people taking the moral high ground that they can afford to adopt. If they are against the morals of Primark then boycott it, but do not deny other people the chance to live well for their means. How many of the De Gruchy faithful will the arrival of Primark affect anyway?
Jersey is full of the rich making decisions using their inflated means as a rule.
And as for John Alker – tough, nobody made you be a shopkeeper. Adapt and survive or get out and realise that people are sick of being ripped off by “precious local retailers”.
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In response to Buy Now Pay Later’s comment of “Probably the same thing that is wrong with using child labour to create these cheap goods.!!” in response to Kevin’s comment of “whats wrong with 4 to 8 pounds for a 20 to 30 pound pair of jeans?”
Yes Primark do use cheap labour, but they use the same factories as more expensive shops – the only difference is that they are more honest with their pricing, they ‘only’ make a 200% profit where other shops are making 2000% profit.
Most modern chain clothing stores, and I dare say a fair few independant ones get their stock from the same factories and the owners of those factories aren’t necessarily treating their workers fairly.
Unless you are going to make sure that you get all your clothing from shops who ensure and can prove that not only do they get all their stock from properly run factories, where the staff are paid and treated fairly, but that they also get the raw materials they use in those factories from (dare I say it) ‘fair trade’ sources then you really have no right to put yourself on a higher moral plane than someone who shops in Primark.
There are even issues with the so called ‘Fair Trade’ suppliers, but Im not going to go into that right now!
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“Too many” of these people “swanning” around in BMWS porsches and Mercedes meaning we the public are being ripped off.
I welcome Primark with open arms these arrogant people have had it all there own way for two long
The great thing about the credit crunch is they will have to sell there 4×4 Porsches as we won’t be paying for them anymore!
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Did Mr Alker think about other shops when he openend his, No! competition is what Jersey needs.
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As i said in a previous article lets create our own primark, but instead of getting cheap child labour from overseas why dont we us the children of those who dont want to ‘Take the moral high ground’.
We work out the cost of a weeks rice and beans then pay them 70% of that.
Seems to me that way we are all happy, those who ‘take the moral high ground’ wont shop there and those that dont care as long as its cheap can contribute to making the clothes.
You cant get fairer than that, surely.
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Futurist 2 – why are people who ’swan’ around in expensive cars ripping other people off – and why presume they are arrogant – and what’s that got to do with Primark ?
Why are you paying for their cars?
Yes I drive a nice car, yes I have worked for 20+ years making my way up a career ladder, yes I pay all my Jersey taxes, yes I am lucky to own a home – and guess what yes I still shop at Primark to help makes ends meet. I’m not arrogant and I certainly don’t ’swan around’ and as far as I know you didn;t hand the cheque over with my hard earned cash to pay for my car – I’d saved for it !
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Primark is the greatest I am shocked at the prices one pays in Jersey there is no choice
its the same thing in all the shops please give Primark a chance
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Primark is cheap because its clothes are made in India. Nice.
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This is about consumer choice. If the consumers of Jersey would like a Primark then let them have one?
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I have my doubts that Primark would be interested in Jersey.
Their business model is to sell large volumes cheaply. I doubt that they could move the volume to achieve profitability and there are added costs in Jersey. Shop rents are several times the rate in most UK towns and shipping is a big added cost.
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Most of the clothes we buy are made in China, Indonesia and India.
My Marks and sparks suit and shoes are made in china not to mention my boxers.
Even the designer labels like GANT Lacoste etc have made in China on them.
All of the clothes cheap or expensive 90% of the time emenate from a factory in one of the above factories.
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Er, Facebook group hysteria!
For those who don’t know social networking very well, you make up a topic/story etc, set up a group and then invite all your 200 (facebook) friends to join. They then ask their 200 friends to join, and before you know it there are 2000 group members, most of which have a 10 second peak at the group and then never go back.
The local media (all formats) then make a huge headline story out of it saying 2000 people are campaigning for this or that. Quite amusing actually.
Anyone want to join my ‘Jersey should have it’s own Tesco’ group
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Yes futurist and rexel you are right. however the problem is not where they are made but how they manage to be so cheap.
Anyway, had my say but out of interest as I may have missed something here but…when did Primark state they wanted to even open a store over here? Or do people think that the more they moan the more likely they are to open one rather than using sound business judgement?
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I personally don’t care if a Jersey business goes down. It is like any other business, if you can’t compete or diversify you fail. I am certainly not, on a point of principle, going to make myself poorer just so that the likes of Mr Alker can enjoy a nice retirement.
The farmshops are scared of an Asda coming here because it might put them out of business. 25 years ago how many farm shops were around? None, just a few small stalls here and there.
Farming was destroyed by our finance loving government and so the farmers diversified to earn a living and opened up farmshops. They have done very well out of it but if a better option is put on our plate the public will go for it and the farmers will have to think again – perhaps going back to farming and supplying the likes of Asda? If not, your business dies. It’s the nature of the beast.
As for Mr Alker, he will have to think of his options. 1. close, 2. compete on price, or 3. find a niche market for his product where he does not have to do 1. or 2.
I am sorry if I do not display much sympathy for you Mr Alker but you are not a charity you are a business.
“I do believe that there is already fashion retail in Jersey at Primark prices.” – Mr Alker.
errr….Where?
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Bambi – your short sightedness matches the business models of ASDA etc perfectly… i.e. loss lead to close all local competitors. Then once we’re only left with only ASDA, and no competition, prices will rocket and you’ll be paying more than you are now.
What’s that I hear you say? “The government can demand ASDA not raise their prices!” No. ASDA will just leave and after years of no decent produce (whilst local firms and UK franchises set themselves up again) we’ll come full circle to the situation we’re in today.
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Everyone who is against primark or other low cost shops are worried that local shops will shut down but what about us the consumers??? Are we not entitled to chose how we want to spend our money why do we have to put up with the high prices here?
I don’t earn enough to shop in most local shops!!!
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Primark or no Primark, … New look or no New Look, … What ever chains decide to open, or have presence in the Island, someone, … somewhere will have comment against it, …
Why not have a local business sourcing its stock on a franchise basis from these afore mentioned? .. Like Checkers retailing Nisa & waitrose products? .. Nisa cheap n chearful, waitrose on the upper end for those that want (or can before my comments lynched)afford it?
This way business’s get the best of both worlds, and us drifing around in a retail lacking environment (which my monthly spend leads me to believe isn’t so) ??
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1. ASDA loss-leading to close local competitors. That only works if they are undercutting their own prices. The fact that they are generally cheaper is not loss-leading.
2. Raising prices after eliminating competition. Please give examples of ASDA doing this elsewhere. Otherwise it is just an unsubstantiated opinion. Iceland is a lot cheaper than M&S but have not eliminated them. They cater for slightly different markets and both survive.
3. I’ll be paying more than I am now. Generally when that happens calls are made for another comeptitor to come in. Exactly where we are now as it happens – held to ransom.
4. ASDA will just leave. Will they? How do you know that? M&S are still here last time I looked. The cheaper competition has not made them run away, they simply adapted their product to a slightly different audience. That is good business sense.
The only true point Joker makes is that we will come full circle to the situation we are in today IF the above assertions all occur.
That, my friend, is competition.
Please explain the logic of why I should be paying a lot more for a product just to keep a greedy local businessman wealthy. What does he do to make me wealthy?
Loyalty? Nah, get real. We all have families to feed and clothe, rent and bills to pay. Loyalty is a two way street. It has to be earned and not given simply because a person is ‘local’.
My loyalty is to my family.
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no competion joker your joking we had a choice of 5 different supliers and did,nt affect any bussiness and every-one was quite happy then- thats what you call choice.farm shops jumped on the gravy train with their extortionate prices leaving us with no real choice but to shop at the 2 remaining with their prices forever spiraling out of control and then we have about 20 or more spars on every corner of the island 10 or 12 in st.helier alone.chequers express another joke the 1 in bath street is always empty,not surprised as they charge about 15 percent more than their main shop in st.brelade where the rich live,and us living in st.helier have to take it or leave it. i agree with bambi if they can,t stand the heat get out of the kitchen been ripping us off for years.this island is run by the rich for the rich and don,t care a fig for the rest of us struggling to make ends meet
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Checkers retail iceland products and that saves me a bunch (well used to before GST) but it’s a shame that other shops don’t do the same. I’d love to cook from fresh ingrediants but instead rely on ready meals because potatos, pasta, rice, fruit, veg and meat and other such basics are too expensive. As for clothes shops over here – I don’t understand how the average worker in Jersey affords to rent and buy clothes over here… it’s ludicrous – and I’m Jersey born! Who knows how the unqualified people manage.
Long live Primark and ASDA! If they ever come over here
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I think we should cover Jersey in a giant bubble, which would maintain a constant tempreture of 25 degrees. That way there would be no need to buy clothes and we could all walk around naked.
On a more serious note – is this all that Jersey worries about, whether it gets a Primark or not?
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Bambi – ASDA and the likes do loss lead to undercut competitors in certain products – no way could they produce certain goods so cheaply… or it’s because they’re dodgy.
ASDA, Tesco etc haven’t rocketed their prices in the UK because they are still in competition with their market equivalents. Slowly but surely there will be one victorious supermarket and then we will have no control over what they do. As you state there’ll still be an M&S because M&S target a customer base that are prepared or can pay more for arguably better produce and are therefore not comparable – their prices can be sometimes 1000’s% higher (e.g. tin o baked beans). The less well off will see their cheap options dwindle as supermarkets eventually buy each other out. Meanwhile local producers and town shops are getting squeezed out of existence. ASDA etc want to do this so they can own and control the entire supply chain – that is not good. This is the time for them to raise prices way above what people are currently paying, not as much as M&S but enough to hurt the less well off, after all they are not a charity!
Your No. 3 point is true. Most of these local ‘competitors’ are franchises and therefore charge what they want for the parent company shareholders to get rich. The only way we’ll see cheaper competition is if ASDA or the equivalent do not franchise their chain. But then we are back to square one of loss leading by charging UK prices and absorbing shipping costs to kill off the competitors etc etc
I’m not saying we should be paying more to keep local business men in pocket. We need to investigate why we are currently ripped off at the till rather than invite titan supermarkets in who won’t care one bit for the Island. We need to understand why our food costs what it does… maybe a supermarket should open their books to us. That said, in certain cases you pay more for your food because it’s much better quality and not imported from a country that has no standards in terms of how the produce is handled or what it is mixed with.
If you’re loyal to your family you will pay the fair cost for quality food – local is quality but unfortunately not always fair.
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anon – are you serious. Ready meals cheaper than making your own! Why dont you get in the kitchen and use a knife and other such utensils chop up your own veg etc. Make extra each time and bag it and freeze, there you go you have made your own ready meals and i think you will find it is considerably cheaper than buying ready meals and will taste a whole lot better.
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just heard on radio new look are taking woolies over. Another run of the mill clothes shop in a prime position.it should have been a store that everybody wanted and i for one won,t be shopping in it i,lljust wait till i next go to uk.
the co-op and sandpiper will be delighted as they can mark up their already inflated prices on household goods etc that woolies sold.the town desperated needed food shops,but i suppose clothes shops are more important than something with a good turnover like food which would be used every day
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Having just come back from London i can say without a doubt that the Jersey folk have and will continue to be ripped off.
Yes this is an island but you still dont have to pay for it!
UK is an island!
DVD £10 where on Jersey can you get a £10 DVD?
Jewellery even with VAT was cheaper.
We visited the new West Field centre which is a little upmarket and found prices cheaper than Jersey and they include VAT!
Tax is going up
Rent /Mortages are going up
Cost of living going up
I will shop around and spend my money where ever i want and will not be told by the States that we can not have certain shops in Jersey!
When the shops close you will only have the States to blame and remember that these shops are out to make a profit and have no morals or care about you, the customer
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JP – As someone who shops at checkers where you can get a chicken curry for £1. yeah i agree!
a chicken breast on its own costs £1.40 sooo yeah I guess a frozen ready meal from iceland is cheaper than making it yourself.
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Although I am happy that New Look is ‘alledgedly’ moving in for my own needs, I have to say that I would still prefer a Primark – New Look do lovely clothes but do not really cater for men or young children / babies. What they do for these groups is very limited from what I can see on their website and the stores I have visited when in the UK. What is needed is a store to cater for all – Primark would fulfill this requirement !
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So you get the whole chicken breast in your curry? And surely if you are talking about iceland then do they not offer bags of frozen chicken meat for a quid or thereabouts?
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they offer a 2kg bag of mincemeat for £2 and 4 huge chicken breasts for £2
check iceland out – you will find their ready meals are cheaper than cooking everything from scratch like anon said
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Bella you could never have put a tesco or asda on teh sight of woolworths.
For a start there is no parking nearby which large supermarkets need, so therefore the road would be constantly blocked by the lazy being picked up
also it isnt suitable for a supermarket like that, due to the fact its not teh right shape or size
i am interested at how a new look would operate there as it is a vast store and surely a new look would be underusing the space unless the top floor was leased out to somewhere else.
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sarah i know woolies is,nt suitable for a supermarket although it did sell food years ago as did bhs they gave us a choice also we had liptons in la motte street,now we have spars checkers express,surely they could find a place for a couple of medium sized stores such as lidl netto or aldi as they have different size stores in uk ,if anything was to replace woolies the nearest thing would have been wilkinsons where everybody would have been catered for,not just women,as there already is enough womens clothes shops in town.as usual the public have no say in the matter and everything done and dusted in secret,no wonder we have lost faith in those politions who don,t have our interests at heart
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Fair enough lula and anon. Personally i would rather pay a little extra then and make my own and bag and freeze it.
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Typical local Jersey overpriced shops will moan about the potential of a retail giant coming here. Where can we get these items which are already “available” in Jersey ?
The question now is weather New Look will be selling their male clothes in this new store ? Don’t forget the fellas please !
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I bet some of the “flash” harry estate agents are feeling it in the credit crunch!
Its time to see the champagne charlies get a taste of reality.Jersey used to be fun quite a few years ago,however its been spoilt by a lot of “smug” oafs who think there it.
Jersey has the highest number of Porsches in the world where the speed limit is 40mph.
Its the mentality thats laughable!!!
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It would be interesting to see how much of your chicken was actually chicken Lula!
The meat from some supermarkets comes from the Far East and is pumped with water to “fill” it out, hydrolysed animal proteins added to hold the water. I wouldn’t give that to my children.
When you can buy chicken cheaper than a cup of coffee, you need to think about where it has come from!
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frankly, anyone who buys a breast of chicken for around a quid needs their head looking at. I wouldn’t pay less than seven or eight quid for a chicken on principle. I’d sooner eat beans than a battery farmed chicken. And I frequently do.
The idea that cheaper is better is fine for some things, but when it comes to meat production, it means cutting corners. People should try to think about quality more than cost: you can get a feed of beautiful fresh mussels from the fish market for the same price as hormone and water injected chicken mush.
The only power we have is economic – when you spend money think of what you are supporting.
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I live in Scotland on the same money I once earnt in Jersey.
Jersey rent for (reasonably nice) two bed flat £1,400 PCM.
Scotland rent 3 bedroom house with large gardens £470 PCM.
Lidl around the corner, food about £10 per bag of shopping £15-20 in Jersey.
I don’t need to mention rip offs now do I?
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Paul – Your £7-8 chicken may be just as intensively reared with the same stocking densities as an indoor factory farmed one. The supermarket saw you coming!
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I believe it is time for the local people to stop being exploited by overpriced goods over here. Also it would be good if getting things delivered to Jersey would be brought to a more realistic level. We are not all multi-millionaires but it appears we are charged as if we were. We have no VAT over here and yet we are charged the VATed prices. Do other offshore islands like the Orkneys for example pay 17.5% on top of uk prices for delivery? I bet they don’t so why are we? Some would say it is because we are being taken for mugs. Come you states stop this exploitation of island residents it has gone on for too long.
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When i have a choice between feeding my family on a small budget or worrying about the chickens life then im sorry im with feeding my family everytime. it may be selfish but in this day and age i would rather not explain to my daughter that we are short of money because mummy put the welfare of a chicken before her.
And bella i agree with you that a wilkinsons would be much better on the site.
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