Third supermarket doubts
Thursday 5th February 2009, 3:00PM GMT.
THE new Minister for Economic Development says he will ‘need to be persuaded’ about the arguments for a third large supermarket in Jersey.
Senator Alan Maclean was commenting on a survey commissioned by the Economic Development department at the end of last year.
According to the survey findings nearly two-thirds of the respondents think the range of supermarkets in Jersey is poor or very poor and 84% are in favour of a new supermarket operator. Over 70% were ‘not concerned’ that supermarkets might close and only 21% said they were happy with the current range of operators.
Senator Maclean’s predecessor, Senator Philip Ozouf, has always said that he is strongly in favour of introducing a rival to the current operators, CI Co-op and Sandpiper CI, which runs the Checkers, Marks & Spencer, Safeway and Iceland outlets. Senator Ozouf particularly favours discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl and it is known that discussions have taken place with at least one French supermarket.
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post.
Click here for subscription details.
Individual editions are also available online.
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
JEP Jubilee Editions
Saturday 2 June: Guide to Celebrations
Wednesday 6 June: Souvenir of Events
View The Queen in Jersey supplement
Travel
To, from and around the Island
Airport Arrivals/Departures
Harbours Arrivals/Departures
Bus Information/Timetables
This is Jersey
Jersey Evening Post
Useful links
I think Senator Maclean used to drive around in a Porsche 911 when he was younger. He probably doesn’t have the same budgetry issues as the rest of us!
Report abuse
Why bother commissioning a survey if it’s going to be ignored. The prices in the current supermarkets are ridiculous and will remain so while there is no real competition. We are getting stung every which way we turn at the moment.
Report abuse
One would have thought that the survey results should be persuasion enough!!
“84% are in favour of a new supermarket operator”
Report abuse
oh yes they always need persuading when it doesnt affect them. but what sort of persuasion does it take?
Report abuse
Why not Asda or Tesco
Report abuse
they never listen or don’t want to.chamber of commerce don’t want any thing to upset their little set-up.philip ozouf had always supported another player operating here since morrisons left,and now alan mcclean is opposing it.why is this so? what is the reason for stopping any new store from opperating? there is no reason why we can’t have at least a discount store
Report abuse
Eileen
Asda were refused entry 20 years ago and they said then that they would never be back to try again
Report abuse
Why does Senator Alan Maclean feel the need to persuaded? Would Jersey go up in a puff of smoke? Are supermarkets an arm of the Mafia? Just why is Senator Maclean enfeebled by a supermarket?
It is Senator Alan Maclean who should justify is illogical position, then we would listen.
Come on leave the door open and see if there is any busness willing to come to Jersey!
Report abuse
most of us would like more choice,lets face it
sandpipers a monopoloy.
some of the unemployed shop staff could work there.
i for one wont hold my breath
Report abuse
Trev – bang on mate, if 84% of us want one what is there to consider?
For gods sake give us the choice, those who don’t want it can boycott it
Report abuse
Aldi and Lidl are favoured by Senator Ozouf but I can assure him that where I now live in the UK they would be the last places I would do my weekly shop although one of them is very convenient for me to get to.Asda and Tesco would offer the best all round option as they also both sell children’s and adults clothing (and I have bought some good stuff from both!) and their household goods are great value for money.Those who are too wealthy or important to shop in such stores can continue to pay through the nose in Le Riches and then everyone will be happy.Good Luck Jersey- you deserve a choice!
Report abuse
There speaks a true millionaire!!!!
Report abuse
I for one am sick and tired of the poor choices islanders have. It leaves me wondering whether those states members who resist such change have a vested interest in maintaining the current supermarket status quo. I propose a large barn style market located perhaps in a more rural location with plenty of choice and plenty of parking, late night shopping with competitive prices. You can’t find a parking space in order to support the current St. Helier market so why not move out of town?
Report abuse
I can’t understand why he is opposed to another supermarket when there were three until CI Traders sneakily Morrisons a few years ago. It worked then why is it different now?
Report abuse
The states have shares in the current operators and if a third party came in then they wouldnt have shares in that one!
Report abuse
I think all state members need to have there ears tested they don’t seem to hear what the people want Why should they bother? it dosn’t effect them, how many do you see going shopping to find out and on a budgits we have to live and survive on
Report abuse
julie, your lucky to have so many different choices of where to shop, we have the same goods in all of ours,very poor choice indeed, and i for one would welcome lidl or aldi,i have brought loads of their products whenever in uk and i can assure you they have a better range of goods than we have in many ways.we have more clothes and furniture choice than food,and i don,t buy neither in jersey.lets face it the majoriety of money is spent on food, heating,etc not clothes and furniture.
Report abuse
lucinda,i wonder why as well,their all so happy to bring any other shop in,but not food. which is the most important ? we all need to eat every day but can do without the others.also if they brought in a large shop it would create employment for many
Report abuse
But were Morrisons or Safeways actually cheaper? Apart from their own brand goods, I never found that I really saved more than a few pence on a weekly shop and on the whole there wasn’t a great deal more choice either. I’ve been to Tesco and Asda and haven’t found them terribly cheap in the UK either.
Report abuse
I find the co-op to be the best quality and value – I would welcome Asda.
Report abuse
The point most people seem to make is increased choice. I am astonsihed by the choice available when I shop in the UK, reduced prices would be a bonus but increased choice would be the main benefit for me.
As previously commented, the states members don’t want the third supermarket as they wouldn’t own it!
Report abuse
Bella- I know the problems you face as I am Jersey born and lived all my life there until three years ago so I know the limited choice on food shopping.I agree with you that Lidl and Aldi have some good products but my hunch is that they would not be viewed as such a threat to the existing operators in the way that Asda or Tesco would.I am also lucky in that my gas and electricity supplier give us access to a website where we can buy discount vouchers for most of the major food stores including 10% off Waitrose (and that includes petrol too!)
Report abuse
I’m sorry, but why are we always considering uk supermarkets. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a continental outlet to increase our choice, afterall we are closer to France than UK so shipping (you’d expect) would be cheaper and shopping on the whole is much cheaper. I know the Euro isn’t great now but we’ll either end up joining or it will go back to the way it was in better times……..hopefully!
Report abuse
Just another example of the government ignoring the majority!!!
When oh when will they start listning to the public!!!!
Report abuse
So they not remember that only a few years ago we used to have Checkers (Le Riche), Co-Op, Safeway, Benests/Fineprice ? And now they are saying that a 3rd supermarket is not needed to compete with only 2 supermarket chains left ?
Report abuse
This island doesn’t like competition. Look at the monoplies here like Jersey Telecom. How can they get away with it? The regulator has alreay stated that they can’t regulate!
Report abuse
Choice? More choice, ok, putting the price to one side (which is expensive). What choice do you actually want?
How many types of milk, sugar, meats, fish, veg’s, fruit, cleaning products, bread, sweets,drinks, cheese, do you want, what is it that is actually missing?
Sandpiper = M&S, Benest (?), Checkers, Iceland, wine warehouse etc. we have Co-op, Spar, All the farm shops that stock many french produce, we have portugese produce shops, polish and asian too.
Or do you want more choice in one location, under one roof that Tesco and others can offer? Where you don’t have to travel around.
Report abuse
Why not let the states vote on it.
Of course all members with a financial interest in any local retailer should declare their interest and not vote due to conflict of interests.
It would be a “no vote”
Report abuse
Squirrel, how often do you go food shopping? Do you have a family to feed? Do you regularly entertain? Do you love cooking? Have you ever had to go to six different food shops in order to complete your food shopping list? Well I have and let me tell you – it sucks! Open your eyes squirrel. You have obviously never experienced the delights, freshness and variety of an Italian food market or anything similar for you to accept what is currently on offer!
Report abuse
squirrel i want a choice of where i want to spend my money.
but the point is its not just that. If there is more choice there is more competition between stores. Which means that prices will have to drop otherwise people wont shop there.
plus there is so much you can get on the continent or the uk that we can not buy food wise over here.
Report abuse
Assuming for one moment that a large UK supermarket actually wanted to set up in Jersey, this would be with the anticipation of making a profit. They would expect to bring in their existing trained staff and management team. They would use their UK administration, distribution and warehousing. As none of our small local shops would be in a position to compete they would very quickly fold leaving the new operater with a total monopoly. They you can bet that prices would go through the roof and the choice offered reduced to basics in order to maximise the return on the investment and allow the UK directors their massive bonuses. With the existing staff from the present shops being made unemployed our labour market would be flooded allowing the new operator to reduce pay to minimum wage levels.
Jersey producers would lose their local market leading to the final collapse of our farming and fishing indistries. And the columns of the JEP would be filled with people moaning of the high prices, lack of choice and naturally blaming the States for allowing a large UK store to move to the Island.
Report abuse
terry, how many shops closed when safeway/morrisons were here? fair enough it was,nt a big store but did give us choice,many items they sold we can not get in the remaining stores,that is what people mean when they say they want choice
Report abuse
Sarah, I understand your requirement to chose where to spend your money. Does more choice of products really mean a price drop? If The Co-op stocked 100% more products but did not drop their prices, you would have choice, but no savings. If a 3rd supermarket came in and sold same or similar products as the other groups, you would then have same choice but cheaper?
Lucinda: If you want the delights of freshness, variety that is found in Italian food markets and you find the local produce sucks, and this is important to you, then why are you still in Jersey? Oh, and yes, I have shopped and savoured the type of markets you say, in Americas, Asia and Europe. I accept that to live in Jersey, I must go to various locations to get what is available in what is a restricted market by size and access (the sea). Let us compare Jersey to other islands and not a land mass with populations of 60 million. Just how much more choice in shopping produce does the Isle of Man have compared to Jersey?
Report abuse
Look folks, get some perspective here.
Senator MacLean doesn’t need to listen to us. He knows what is good for us and the voices of 84% of the island are irrelevant. Why do we elect these people if we think we know better than them? Senator MacLean is clearly of a vastly superior intellect than the rest of us who don’t see the bigger picture.
Senator MacLean has obviously suffered the same hardships as the rest of us. Sometimes he wasn’t even sure what designer suit to wear or which of his cars to drive to school. He has been there and done it. He is a survivor and your sob stories won’t wash.
What do you want to eat for anyway? There is an obesity epidemic in Jersey and he wants to help us all to get slim by ensuring that we can’t afford to eat very much.
The guy is a genius.
Report abuse
Lidl’s provide some excellent products so I don’t understand Julie’s comments. But then they are German, so the Jersey Xenophobia Club would object on the grounds of the occupation that ended nearly 64 years ago. Oh and we can’t have the French having a supermarket on the island due to the Battle of Jersey.
Report abuse
Right hand says yes
New left hand come in says no
Where is the joined up thinking?
Report abuse
Moi
There is only 1 boat a week to france that is cpable of carrying trailers of the type required by foodstuffs, More boats = more costs = higher prices.
Report abuse
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Sandpiper is owned by private equity – the states can’t have a share of it. However I do agree with everybody that the choice at checkers is not what it once was, Larger pack sizes have all but disappeared. Price wise there isn’t that much difference to the UK in some stores – try a coop here and in the UK and you might be surprised at how close the differences are.
Report abuse
To ZBD – I agreed that Lidl and Aldi have some good products.What I said was that I wouldn’t do my entire weekly shop in either of them and that Senator Ozouf probably considered them not to be such a threat as Tesco or Asda.If I still lived in Jersey I would welcome ANY new supermarket quite honestly as I am well aware of the limited choice and stupid prices over there.
Report abuse
ZBD we could add NETTO (an excellent store) to the list danish firm.remember the viking invasion in the 7th century
Report abuse
I don’t know about a 3rd supermarket being an issue, but if the proposal to increase our population to 100,000 is realised we will probably need a sixth or seventh!!!!
Report abuse
moi bring them on fat chance of that happening,when they have been denying us even one other for years.weymouth have 5 large supermarkets as well as aldi and lidl and population of 50,000 we should be so lucky,no wonder people say we are 100 years behind the times
Report abuse
Ha ha at Martin mentioning JT as a monopoly….
How about JEC, Jersey Gas, Jersey Water, Condor…
The list goes on, what are the regualtors doing about that?
Axe to grind Martin?
Report abuse
Re. Nellie Macon message
I shopped at Tesco in Sept, spent a mere £47. loaded the boot of my car, and never had to buy coffee til after Christmas, still using up the washing powder, have 5kg of rice left, 8kg pasta, and several tins of tuna etc… Enough to keep me going yet for some while. And you are trying to say you have been to Tesco’s in the UK and never found them terribly cheap!! Well can you tell me where you shop in Jersey, because I must be going to the wrong places……
Report abuse