Anger over plans for third supermarket
Wednesday 17th March 2010, 2:58PM GMT.
Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean in the Central Market, which some fear would be damaged if another large supermarket operator were brought into the Island
ANGRY retailers have rejected the conclusions of a report that supports the introduction of a third supermarket in the Island.
They say hundreds of jobs would go and many businesses would close if UK chain like Tesco or a French supermarket group is allowed to come to Jersey.
The report produced for the Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, concludes that there is room for a third large food store operator.
The report effectively says that protection for the countryside should be scrapped so that a new large supermarket can be built on the outskirts of town.
But both the Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Channel Islands Co-Operative Society have condemned the findings and strongly criticised the research.
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So lets get this straight, the traders currently charging too much and offering too little choice won’t be happy if competition comes to Jersey.
They could always reduce their prices and increase their choice to compete, goes against the grain to offer the paying public a choice though doesn’t it.
Stuff em let em sink, those losing jobs could work for the new retailer.
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Sandpiper controls M&S Checkers, Iceland and Safeway. What kind of competition is that?
We need REAL independent trader for lower prices
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ANGRY retailers have rejected the conclusions of a repor
As older readers will remember these were the sentiments of Red Robo, and the British motor industry, in 1970s. The government of the day caved in and the British public voted with their feet and went Japanese.
Alan Maclean is right to let the market decide. M&S Simply Food is a shining example of the truth that there is more to success than just price.
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Alan Maclean..shall be known hereafter forever as the man who said “Protection for the countryside should be scrapped” not a mention of that in your manifesto when you were schmoozing for votes..and you know damn well why not…deception of intent…well us locals wil fight to preserve the green and pleasant land we were born in…so why not save us the bother and just stand down now..
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“Some fear the Central Market would be damaged” – come on get real the market of today is nothing like it used to be the damage was done years ago!!!
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Totally agree with the sentiments expressed above. It seems that prices of items in the supermarket go up week by week in Jersey so how can retailers expect consumers to be happy with that arrangement? We NEED more competition, the cost of food here is outrageous.
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I would welcome this as Jersey Supermarkets, are the most expensive in Britian.
The public have the right to have a Tesco, or another chain come in. Example you see £10.00 meals being advertised, on televison for Marks And Spencer, but for some reason that does not count for Jersey, why ?
Also as for Jobs going, well lets be honest here, it s not the jobs your bothered about its your greedy profit your going to lose.
And I think 99% of the public would agree
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I bet they are worried we will get goods that are not past there sell by dates more choice and real prices not telephone numbers like they charge now and also better service please let tesco etc into the island
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I cannot believe this is even being discussed. We dont need another super market. We have far more Super markets than we need already and we have already lost too much of the countryside to developing flats. lets protect what we have left.
ASnd if another super market chain comes in and undercuts the already operating shops in Jersey. Many people could be at risk of being laid off.
Bad idea – NEXT!
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Of course they will be angry,they have had the monopoly for years with no serious competition,both as bad as each other.
Loss of jobs?don,t make me laugh.
Scary propaganda at its best.
They should invite morrisons back in,they are expanding all over britain and creating jobs.
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Only problem is that the newcomer has an immediate advantage with lower rents being built in the countryside – so it’s not exactly fair to the existing players.
Unless of course the States inflate the rent accordingly (cos there is no way they will reduce the rents for the others!)
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another stunning example of maclean’s crass inability to successfully dupe – we all remember the ‘think twice buy local’ flags on the avenue sourced from the uk … now we might get a supermarket that won’t rip us off, but only if of green land. such sophistication, alan, is surely wasted on us plebs.
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Probably because he has finally listened to someone with some sense namely me!
Competition what competition?
Get a French supermarket in. There will be less chance of them falling into bad habits like high pricing IMHO. From a green angle as well you know it makes sense!
In my opinion all the Senator has to do now is stop the exorbitant pricing for import/export and travel costs and we could have a viable community over here IMHO.
I’m not banking on this though.
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Here in sunny Orpington. The continuation of the last time this discussion came up. Tesco (The local store, yeahh right!) Have finally finshed a new Tesco Extra store at the end of the high street. This is in addition to a large twenty four hour Tesco three miles away at Foots cray, and about eight miles the other way another one at Riverhead Sevenoks. Results so far, the Riverhead Tesco has lost £35,000 a month to Orpington, don’t know figure for Sidcup. Another three independent shops shut. And the Sainsbury’s in Orpington down sized. Tesco brought about 300 jobs mostly part time for the loss of about two hundred full time jobs in retail in the town.
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The Chief Planning Officer Andrew Scaite is quoted as saying something along the lines of…. housing extensions in the countryside must be in proportion in size and sensitive to the surrounding area.
What a load of bull! Nigel Mansell’s home extension, along with other, does not fit this description.
By the way, the Island plan isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on!
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oooh – cheap baked beans coming to jersey. yum yum at last!!! bring it on…
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I disagree that we need another supermarket chain in the island.
People have commented upon how there isn’t enough variety or choice and a lack of competition which drives up prices.
Personally I can’t think of one supermarket item that I crave which isn’t available here. Furthermore, not only does the higher cost of supermarket goods in Jersey no doubt contribute toward and fall in line with our higher cost of living on the island and therefore the higher wages earned in comparison to the mainland but given that the current exchange rate of Euro to Sterling doesn’t lean in our favour how could introducing a French supermarket chain be guaranteed to lower prices and therefore increase competition?
Leave what little countryside we have left be, and if you think it’s too expensive to feed yourself then save a supposed fortune by moving elsewhere for a while before returning quietly and red faced.
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French Supermarket? Why? Totally pointless, whether you like it or not the island is far too British for that. There are already sections of the current supermarkets catering for French cuisine. And why would it be cheaper? Has to be a UK supermarket as that it what a majority of the population want.
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Its the financial or family hold of one family who have a farm shop in the middle of St Johns who are driving this – definitely NOT desecrate the countryside any further PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>>
I have so much choice to shop and buy food I am totally spoilt – get real, 5 chicken pieces for less than £2 at Iceland etc etc Even farm shops have real bargains if you shop within season…
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The local retailers are scared of a bit of competition, how surprising, NOT !!!!
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I would open it upto a French supermarket. Lots of good fresh produce at much lower prices than UK supermarkets. It would probablyalso improve ferry servicesto Jersey.
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Percy 17 – “I disagree that we need another supermarket chain in the island”
Fine don’t shope there but don’t deny me and other the choice
“Personally I can’t think of one supermarket item that I crave which isn’t available here”
So because you can buy everything you need we shouldn’t have another supermarket.I can assure you as a vegetarian the choice of foods available at UK supermarkets is staggering, there are foods I’ve never heard of as well as a massive range of Quorn products that we don’t have.
I honestly don’t understand why people are objecting, you don’t have to shop there if you don’t like it. Unless you’re an eco warrior and want to save the countryside I can’t see the problem.
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“Personally I can’t think of one supermarket item that I crave which isn’t available here.”
Presumably you’re not much of a craver, then!
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Why will prices be cheaper? Yes – maybe in the short term until the local competition has been bought out or bankrupted and the shops turned into flats. But once this has happened, prices will go up and we will be in an even worse situation then we are now. What then, rezone more fields and repeat the process?
As a small Island with only ninety thousand shoppers we are a restricted market and these businesses are out to make money for their shareholders who demand year on year growth. To receive their massive bonuses the top Directors also need to demonstrate growth. Once you have a dominant market share the only way to achieve this is through increased prices. They are businesses, not charities – what part of this don’t you local bumpkins’ understand?.
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A French supermarket will lower prices? Get real. We’re currently in France and have a very large HyperU and an Intermarche nearby – nearly everything is more expensive than in Jersey! The chickens at LIDL are more expensive than at M&S back home.
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@ bella #10
“…Of course they will be angry,they have had the monopoly for years with no serious competition,both as bad as each other…”
Somebody of your intelligence should recognise an oxymoron when they see it bella.
“…Loss of jobs?…”
See post #14, then try and explain how introducing a new supermarket wouldn’t create job losses in your opinion.
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@The Vegi #22
Do you really think that any new operator would bring in a significantly larger selection of products than at present? There simply isn’t the market for the product range you see in some(not all) UK stores for example.
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I am amazed that people still beleive that supermarkets pay for their goods to come to Jersey, they do not, the supplier pays.
A supermarket manager admitted this to me, he says the reason the food is so expensive is because thay have to pay decent wages to their staff.
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“A massive range of Quorn products”
If we start concreting over green land in the hope that it will increase the scope of quorn products available to vegetarians then the world will have gone mad. But it does illustrate how vegetarianism is almost always unsympathetic to both the pleasures of food (I wouldn’t eat quorn if I was paid to) and the importance of the environment.
A new supermarket will not increase choice: Uk supermarkets sell a wider range because they are bigger. Another smallish (by UK standards) supermarket will sell exactly the same stuff as the existing ones. If I want foie gras I’ll have to get it from the market and if you want quorn, well, you’re just confused.
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There will always be something that the Jersey public disagrees on.
Why?
Because otherwise it would be to far to boring.
We need choice on the island and be honest, buying local is extremely expensive.
Who can afford a cheese for £3-£4 whyn we are all faced by pay cuts, job losses etc.
Even food on the main land is far cheaper than here.
Everytime the TV ads about food in Tesco or ASDA are coming up I wonder why we haven’t brought up the issue earlier.
Island life is great, but do we have to pay such high price for it?
Frankly we should be allowed the choice and French food is good quality food!
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“CARREFOUR” ONLY THE BEST!!
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“Personally I can’t think of one supermarket item that I crave which isn’t available here.”
I don’t much like supermarkets – ready food is not my thing. You can get great fish, meat and veg in Jersey and that suits me fine.
But one thing you struggle to get anywhere is dripping. Or fresh suet. Those are real losses. Not being able to buy Mr Frosty’s Triple Chocolate Wheaty Crackles really isn’t, in the scale of things, much to worry about.
Other things I can’t get: bottarga, white truffles, organic chicken livers, fresh cheese, salted sardines, unfrozen sweetbreads (yum!). But do I demand that the countryside be turned to concrete to satisfy my requirements? No, I do not: would others showed a similar degree of selflessness.
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@ Bean Bag #28
“I am amazed that people still beleive that supermarkets pay for their goods to come to Jersey, they do not, the supplier pays…”
That is not always true, and where items are not shipped by the retailer themselves, do you not think this is reflected in the cost charged to them by the supplier, and therefore on to the customer?
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You are never going to get the choice or the prices that are available in the UK or France because Jersey is basically a small town of 90,000 surrounded by sea.
Some of the big Carrefour or Tesco shops have a possible catchment of 500,000 or even a 1,000,000.
So a range of 10,000 lines with 20 different types of Quorn sausages makes sense, but it is never going to happen here folks!
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Yes to a third supermarket; no to in the countryside. The two should not be linked – there are sites available in town.
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Wake up People ! Life is expensive here, there is no choice in the supermarkets !! sometimes there is even no food left. Smaller are the shops, more expensive it is. Why not leave the opportunity to Islanders to pay less for their food and spend then the money they saved in leisure ? You loose jobs in food but create jobs somewhere else. It is too easy to say people are going to lose their jobs ! well there is still a lot to do in Jersey : it is easy to be entrepreneur here, and plenty opportunities…
In my home town in France (only 55000 people plus around 35000 people so this makes the same amount of people as jersey ), well there is quite few big shops like : 1x carrefour, 2x leclerc, 1x intermarché, 1x geant, plus few little ones : well there is choice and everybody is happy !! At least I am happy to go to my hometown, at least i can eat proper food and have plenty choice.
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Intelligence me?
Im as thick as 2 short planks didn’t you know?
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29 Donald Pond“A massive range of Quorn products”
If we start concreting over green land in the hope that it will increase the scope of quorn products available to vegetarians then the world will have gone mad. But it does illustrate how vegetarianism is almost always unsympathetic to both the pleasures of food (I wouldn’t eat quorn if I was paid to) and the importance of the environment.
So a nice green field is important and the unnecessary suffering and death of an animal is not?
I’m not unsympathetic to the pleasures of food, I just don’t think the life of an animal is worth sacrificing for a taste sensation.
I accept that a smaller supermarket will carry less stock but any increase in choice would be a good thing.
Presumably this will now turn into a vegi slagging contest.
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@ The Vegi #38
“…I’m not unsympathetic to the pleasures of food, I just don’t think the life of an animal is worth sacrificing for a taste sensation…”
Are you a vegan or just a vegetarian? I ask because I find it odd how vegetarians who choose their diet based on their thoughts on the worth of an animals life, don’t mind the greater suffering of animals that are kept alive, even bred specifically, to be harvested.
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“I accept that a smaller supermarket will carry less stock but any increase in choice would be a good thing.”
If it has less stock I can’t see how it increases choice at all. Do you think it will stop selling sugar and baked beans and sell quorn? No, it will sell the same stuff as elsewhere and it will be one green field less.
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I personally believe the majority of people complaining about choice are doing so because the choice of ready made meals is not so good here, although M and S do some half decent stuff.
There arent many receipes out there meat or vegetarian that you cannt make due to there being a lack of choice. I think the majority of complainers hit this bracket because they are plain lazy.
Not that I wouldnt welcome a new supermarket but, for the reason of choice of where to shop rather than there not being enough choice inside the shops themselves.
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“So a nice green field is important and the unnecessary suffering and death of an animal is not?”
Funnily enough, a “nice green field” is actually an eco system that supports billions of creatures, from micro-organisms in the soil to birds in the hedgerows. But of course, destroying all of that is quite justified if it increases your choice of quorn based products.
Me, I’d sooner keep the green field and have a nice braised shin of veal. And let’s face it, there can be no nobler death for an animal than for the cause of gastronomy. Much better than being tarmacadamned (sic) for the quorn fiends.
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Any new supermarket will have the same old stuff unless it is French in which case it will go the way of the Checkers French stuff which no one bought.
So Nescafe, Tetleys, Heinz, etc.
Food in Jersey is expensive but if you buy the ingredients and cook it yourself then it is a lot cheaper than ready meals or partly prepared food.
A lot of Italian food is pasta, vegetables, meat or fish, cheese, olive oil, herbs and spices, etc.
You can buy 90% of the ingredients in Jersey, you can buy some oddities from the Internet and make some sensible substitutions if you have to.
A Jersey veggie just has to learn to like bean stew instead of the Quorn saveloys that you crave
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Wasn’t their a French supermarket at Quennavais Parade? When was it now? Oh yes about 1960! When my parent’s and I moved into the flats above. That were originally going to be store rooms, number 14 it was. So where is the new idea then?
Anyone looked at the shareholder ‘s list for the ‘British’ supermarkets latley? I’ll take the French or Belgium supermarkets anytime! Better quality, and cheaper!
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I can’t see what all the fuss is about building in the odd bit of agricultural land that has not been used for years.It’s time for the “Rural” parishes to find out what the other built up parishes have to put up with regarding traffic and noise.
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Get the French in its time for a change and this would be a change for the better IMHO. I have had enough of all the boring UK brands. Jersey is not part of the UK!
Shipping in from St.Malo would be cheaper and quicker due to shorter distances etc. From a purely green angle you know it makes sense! So do it then and maybe prices would come down to a more realisitic level for an island.
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Yes french food,yummy yummy,love their cakes and biscuits best of all.
Save me having to bring shopping trolley and case when i go for day trip.
Cheese and bread to die for.
The land of plenty,so near and yet so far.
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I for one do not want a french supermarket. We already have some polish shops here now and to be honest, trying to read the labels is annoying, I don’t know what half the stuff is or how to cook it. It takes ages reading all the info on the labels now already, sell by date, best before date, calories, salt, sugar etc., etc. If it is writen in a foreign language it would take an age to read it, even if they also have it in English, some of the small jars etc has tiny writing. I want a good old Tesco, Asda (they also do cheap clothes), or Waiterose (who won the best supermarket of the year latley).
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#46 Sorry Adrian but most people just want the brands they have now at cheaper prices. Your statement that French produce is better is unfounded. And although Jersey is not part of the UK nor is it part of France. The French section of Checkers was never successful and with the weakness of sterling I can’t see them being any cheaper. Then you have the problems of French packaging to decipher! It seems you have a chip on your shoulder about all things UK, well unfortunately there is far more British influence in Jersey than French.
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With the new links i.e Huelin Renouf to France surely it would be better to bring over a french chain, if not how about a french once a week market based on the old fort regent site .Prices with new supermarkets from UK chains wont really be that much cheaper as they will still have to pay the same high wage structure that the island has compared to many regions in the U.K the thing with UK chains is they dont just sell food but have huge cloths lines electrical goods etc that may damage the local economy.
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“Sorry Adrian but most people just want the brands they have now at cheaper prices.”
I prefer the best value product for money. A brand isn’t necessarily the best and it isn’t necessarily the cheapest either is it?
“It seems you have a chip on your shoulder about all things UK”
Only the things that detract from Jersey and its Jerseyness. Anyway Jersey is not part of the UK is it?
If people want to live in an English county why don’t they just move to England?
“Your statement that French produce is better is unfounded.”
In answer to that how much fresh food for sale in Jersey would be bought by French people if it were to be sold in France? I would have to say not much.
“Then you have the problems of French packaging to decipher!”
Preety pathetic excuse for not buying something to me I’m afraid.
“well unfortunately there is far more British influence in Jersey than French.”
I agree with you there.
No concerns about the distances food has to travel? No worries about environmental damage caused by transporting goods further than needed? If you prefer to get things for the UK, which is four times further away, maybe not then?
I would also imagine that the French dockers charge less to unload/load containers than their UK counterparts so there could well be savings here as well as less fuel for the journey. Still not enough good reasons here to have a change of tack?
There are still quite a few people in Jersey, despite the large influx over the last 50 years from you know where, who value their Breton/Norman links and who would be appreciative of things from their historical home.
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The dark art of misdirection is at work here,Dangling the carrot of perceived cheaper prices for food when things are tight.This has nothing to do with getting a better deal for you,It is a political trojan horse…secure popular agreement for said supermarket when really the goal is to scrap planning ru;les in the countryside,so after they can build everywhere as a precedent has been set and becomes difficult to argue with..this is all about trashing the countryside with more overpriced housing.
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#45 I’m guessing the problem lies around how hard it would be to shift the land back to farm land (should it be needed).
We have enough food just now largely because (like most countries) we rely on a global market. But there have been some notable food shortages in the last couple of decades and the situation will get worse. It’s been a while since we passed into the era of having a larger population than the earth can sustain. When food is in short supply other countries will put their own first and we will have to be far more self-sufficient than we currently are.
I would imagine if the States are intent on looking at growing the population they should actually be ensuring we have more farm land, not less. Or maybe they have no idea that food shortages are a real possibility!
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royston “high wage structure” good points. I would be tackling the reasons for high wages wouldn’t you? Making the working population more competitive is vital in today’s global economy.
Which brings me back to, high travel costs and high import/export costs….. So why isn’t this vital issue being sorted out…..? Why faff around with competition in the teleco market when we have such a big elephant in the room? I couldn’t care less about saving £50-£100 a year on my phone bill but I would care about saving thousands of pounds per year on the price of travel and goods over here etc.
A good point truthseeker this could be a back door method to more development. Housing is very profitable in Jersey.
Valid points Leah we are going into food shortages, as the world population is becoming more and unsustainable at exactly the same time as Jersey’s green and pleasant land is turning, bit by bit, into a concrete jungle, to cope with the ever increasing population, much of it due to inward migration.
Adopting a policy of keep growing the population in the hopes that the demographic time bomb can be mitigated is doomed to failure IMHO.
All this will do is act like a syphon, sucking in more and more people as the previous “more” brought in to pay for today’s retirees reach retirement themselves, and a new “more” is needed to pay for them. Rinse and repeat till you have a million or two, or more likely the whole lot collapses into chaos and anarchy! Quite a crazy policy to follow IMHO.
Mind you a lack of finance would soon bring the population down to a more realistic level IMHO.
Anyway at least the police appear properly prepared now, what with riot gear, and all the likes, for every eventuality. It does make me wonder if the government have actually managed to plan ahead for once!?
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It would be great to have an upmarket supermarket in the north of the island, in Trinity or St John. This would allow many shoppers to avoid driving into St Helier, and would ease congestion and parking problems in town. The M&S in St John is good, but too small.
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I can only assume those opposing this idea have shares in Sandpiper?
I recently visited my mum in Southampton and went into Tesco whilst I was there. The difference in prices are staggering. Part of me was shocked, but part of me was also angry. Some of our retailers should be behind bars at La Moye, their prices are bordering on daylight robbery. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you have lack of competition. Living on an island means we can’t vote with our feet, or drive to a cheaper alternative.
Yes, people will lose jobs, but Tesco will provide them, so it balances out.
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Even with pound world arriving with limited food ,you can see the difference in many items.
IE bisto gravy granules.
Co-op £1.80 before PW now £1.15.same product 300g.
Other supermarket the same.
Everything pound world sells the 2 have lowered prices.
Proof we do need competition.
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Jersey has a competition law now , it may well be the case that prices are too high and the choice not sufficient. With the supermarkets that we have not seeming to be running to full capacity. Why not just make Sandpiper or COOP divest their interest in 1 supermarket and offer it to a new operator, rather than build on our precious countryside?
Perhaps this idea is more to do with selling some Airport land to raise cash!
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Beaumont if you had the option of a bridge, run by the island for the island, all these concerns would be a thing of the past wouldn’t they?
As far as I am concerned prices shouldn’t be even more than the UK, since we do not have VAT over here. So the obvious question to ask is why aren’t they? I think a lot of people have their suspisions as to why they are this price, and it isn’t down to just wages IMHO.
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#58 Rob, is airport land not a bit close to an existing large supermarket?
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Fingers crossed its Harrods, thats the only store that could hope to compete with Sandpiper and the CO-OP! All Harrods needs to do is increase its prices slightly and it will be on a par!!!
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‘No concerns about the distances food has to travel? No worries about environmental damage caused by transporting goods further than needed? If you prefer to get things for the UK, which is four times further away, maybe not then?’
You are assuming that all goods coming from France would just magically come into existance in Normandy (or Brittany). In the real world lorries will be bring produce from all over France and likely Europe so the reality is that they will have been transported just as far (and in many instances further) than had they come from the UK.
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So in the real world goods coming four times further by sea only come from the south coast of England making up for the extra travel in Europe required in Europe?
In the real world Britain can get its food etc from places like the Carribean, USA, Canada, Australia and NZ. Lucky none of this ever comes to Jersey then isn’t it?
What about bannanas for example do they grow on the south coast of England yet? Maybe we are getting them from the Eden Project then and I didn’t know about it?
Wouldn’t you say in reality that most if not all of Europe is closer geographically than say the USA, Canada, Australia or NZ?
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Markets and customers will always survive new competitors.
Competition is healthy, unlike the vegetable produce in a well known western based supermarket.
If I could buy my food on the internet I would.
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This Alan Maclean character – more like Alan Partridge.
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As I no longer live in Jersey this subject does not affect me directly but having just returned from visiting family I was once again amazed at the high price of household items and food in the supermarkets.And so little choice, being used to the UK range of shops now.For people who don’t have to watch the pennies this probably isn’t a problem but Asda particularly would be a Godsend for those struggling to feed and clothe a family.The main problem would be that wherever they put it the traffic problems it would create would be horrendous and I just have to add that I could not believe the traffic congestion on my recent trip.It was far worse than it ever was when I left four years ago.
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@ Beaumont #56
“…I can only assume those opposing this idea have shares in Sandpiper?…”
I don’t, and I oppose the idea.
“…their prices are bordering on daylight robbery…”
Would you also jail somebody doing 39mph in a 40mph zone? If not why not; they’re also boarding on the edge of the law.
“…Unfortunately, this is what happens when you have lack of competition…”
I doubt that the competition people talk about would actually lower prices as significantly as those same people think. How big was the Tesco you visited, and how many people are in the market it serves? It’s the same argument over and over again, there IS an economy of scale which Jersey can’t enjoy. Go look at the price difference across Sainsbury in the UK for example; go to a large store, and some items will be cheaper than a ‘small’ store(and those small stores are about the size of some Jersey supermarkets BTW) on a recent visit to the UK I noted one product that varied in price in two Sainsbury’s locations in the UK by 13%. If people think that prices they see in a large UK/French supermarket serving a huge population will be what they see in any new store in Jersey they’re fooling themselves.
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@ Adrian #58
“…a bridge, run by the island for the island…”
I’m pretty sure that a bridge is useless if it only has one end isn’t it? And unless you’re suggesting the French wouldn’t want an interest in it I don’t think any bridge to France is going to be run by the Island for the Island.
“…As far as I am concerned prices shouldn’t be even more than the UK, since we do not have VAT over here…”
Care to give a specific example Adrian, so at least the reasons can be explained specifically, rather than hoping you understand another crack at the general concept of economies of scale.
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Mork to Orson….scrapping the green zone….nothing to do with food don’t be a double divi and taken in by it…..overcrowding that is the issue..resist it….
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ah food glorious food.
An onion can make people cry,but there has never been a vegetable invented to maka them laugh!
The most remarkable thing about my ma is that for 10 years she served the family nothing but leftovers!
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@ bella #70
“…The most remarkable thing about my ma is that for 10 years she served the family nothing but leftovers!”
This begs the question; whose leftovers, or was there just one huge meal to start with?
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Actually it was lamb,loved to get me teeth in it,minced,chopped to pieces chewed and spat out,and that was when it was still alive!
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(70) my mother was good with left overs, or tumbledown meals , as they were dollyed up on the tv the other day. there will be a tv programe on soon called ration book britian , just to warn us of how hard it can get or how to get more out of your benifit.
for what its worth, i would like a french , supermarket .
those of us who us the market, and the farm shop will more than likley continue , if we can park.
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#69 Truthseeker, has anyone taken the politicians to task on where they believe the island will be in 50 years time?
Do they honestly think bringing in more people will fix the ageing population problem? Do they understand that increasing population size increases health issues and crime? Do they believe that if they build houses like mad for the next 10 years that in 20 years time Jersey won’t still be crying out for more houses?
You strike me as someone who may actually know the answer to just how the States are approaching the long-term future of the island.
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Bella,I have no crystal ball,but a blind man can see the deterioration of the island,the hideous incinerator which if viewed from the Dicq driving up and over Mount Bingham a sickening sign of an agenda of open immigration policy,or why would St.Ouen resevior need to go up so high..more millions.more jobs more people,mass overcrowding.put three rats in a box,quite happy double it,they start eating each other.Look at the waterfront, just a carve up,the quality of life here is getting worse by the day,violence and drugs escalating daily,the lovely sense of belonging and Esprit de corps of our society that I valued so much..is in the death throes…the rich are bleeding the less well off,and have been allowed to do so by those with aquisitive agendas…..freeloaders get it all on a plate the rich are impervious to tax so the middle hard working people are disadvantaged and taxed to the gills,have you had your bills and seen what less allowances have come to mean,while the price of everything skyrockets,and the Cartel that calls itself Govt, has demonstrated again and again that they could not care less about the people or what they want, the long term future without total Govt reform is that Jersey as you know it will no longer exist,the city style walk along look down,do not make eye contact, will be accompanied by the need of more household security,bars on windows etc,in fact all the things that hitherto we had successfully avoided will be forced upon us…only Total and utter reform and a return to the old committee system can save us..you asked ..that’s my view.
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as a visitor to your island every year for 6wks,i holiday in self catering appartments with my family.we bring a certain amount of food with us because the price you pay for goods like tea,coffee,sugar,biscuits and baked bean peas ect.are pricey.tesco is my main shop here in belfast in addition to iceland.not only do i get cheaper food but clubcard points which add up to cash.you need competition to survive.yes islanders pay is better then our own,but you pay more on rents,food and clothes because there is no competition.we have the choice of supermarkets,plus spars and local shops.yet all survive.you have the old odean sitting there.our tesco in the city center is in a listed building that was a bank.i have a choice of 4 tescos within 15 minutes drive of each other,so all are in my reach.i have shopped in all of them.you would benifit from a tesco in more ways then 1.tourists who are in appartments would have more money to plough in leasure and you would too,
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we wouldn’t need competition with another supermarket in Jersey if the ones we do have weren’t so greedy. Sandpiper who have the franchise for M&S must be doing well as we have 4 in a small island like Jersey, but what annoys its customers is why don’t we get any of the deals like the UK, meal deals etc when family or friends visit from the UK they always comment on our high cost of living and how can we afford to live here.
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In answer to Mandy 77
Sandpiper need to open more stores for public demand they are not greedy as you say they opened these stores and if you ever go in them every single one is packed to the hilt but you don’t personally have to go in them. As far as the deals are concerned they as you rightly put it have the franchise they are not the store and have you every looked at the cost of freight. Give me M & S everyday great value for money and great deals on offer and no I don’t work for them but I think it is great to have them.
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Lets hope it will be cheaper than the current supermarkets as you will find Checkers prices vary all around the Island which I think is silly and should be the same all over irrespective of it location. You are also wanting us to buy local but to buy is far more expensive…we are in a recession don’t forget…
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Wouldn’t it be easier to build a bridge to Guernsey instead…..we can then make the Sarnians our 13th parish
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BSD my cunning plan is to connect Guernsey to Jersey after I have connected Jersey to france. Much like the JEC have done for power.
This would then remove one of J.Lamborrari’s key objections to my plan.
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P.S. I’m talking about bridges here in case “someone” gets the wrong end of the stick!
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OMG – sad that there are folks who really believe there its worth trashing the island further just for the sake of saving pennies. Even in England we have to shop around – supermarkets are very good at promotions that are in fact loss leaders and I have read that Asda for example (part of the US Walmart chain) actually make their profits on clothing, household etc which in effect subsidise the food – the real cost of cheap food is the destruction of communities and local producers and the environment – read books by Feliciy Lawrence on this topic, you will be amazed and horrified.
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While we are waiting for the bridge why not get another ferry Stena or p&o?
Lack of competition of ferries to France and UK stops many from going by sea.
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@ bella #84
“…why not get another ferry Stena or p&o?…”
Who’s stopping this happening bella? If any operator wanted to they could operate on the route (obviously after the application for licence etc.) but none of them do because it’s not economically viable for them. You could tempt them with subsidise I guess, but is that what you’d like your taxes used for?
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bella it would be a good idea but what happens if it upsets some others? What then?
A bridge gets rid of any possibility whether perceived or contemplated to cream it IMHO, especially if state owned as no private shareholders will be looking for a dividend on their investment.
Normandy is depressed at the moment this extra imput into their economy would be a big help to them and help us with the housing crisis, price of goods etc. I would say a win-win for the vast majority both sides of the divide. I for one would love to be able to drive for a cheap evening meal to France which would be a lot more often than at present as far as I am concerned. I’m sure my money would go further as well.
Others could prefer an ever increasing spiral of prices though and an ever increasing difficulty of trying to get a cost of living realignment? Without all the other major issues rearing their heads over here. Maybe they view the status quo as a win-win? I don’t maybe people like J.Lamborrari would care to air their views on this along with any ideas of sorting things out? Maybe not? Time will tell.
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#86
I agree,it would be great to have a bridge,but can,t see it happening yet,you know how long its takes them to do anything here.
Why not have more on sea routes.Any competition would upset others and force them to lower prices.
Of course It would put noses out of joint.
If we keep on long enough maybe they will listen to what we want,but not holding my breath.
If they had a mind they would have bought their own ferry and paid for itself through share-holders long ago.
Stena and p&o applied to do UK route some time ago after condor made a right cock-up of things Every-one wanted a reliable service,but contract was given back to condor again against public wishes.
We would,t have to rely on any if we had a bridge.
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