‘Forgotten’ colomberie traders blame Waterfront
Friday 25th February 2011, 2:56PM GMT.
Laurie de la Haye has been trading in Colomberie since the 70s
BUSINESS owners in Colomberie feel they work in a ‘forgotten area’ which is being overlooked as the Island continues to develop the southern part of town.
With ‘to let’ and ‘closing down’ signs featuring in shop windows, many businesses in the area are either vacant or soon to close and the owners are blaming a lack of investment in the area, compared to the Waterfront development.
Laurie de la Haye has owned and run Marrigold Jewellers in the precinct since 1976.
He said: ‘We used to get a lot of business when more things went on up this end of town. Bands used to play in the afternoon in Howard Davis Park and all the people would pass this way and have to walk back.’
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People in Jersy are just plain lazy! If there was nearby parking (nearer and more convneient than Green Street!) traders would be rushed off their feet!
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ah , the days of passing tourists and bands in the park, people buzzing all over the town .
locals complaining about “horror cars with the map out”.
coaches dropping tourists off to town for the day.
pre higher taxation and high cost of living , when people would just “buy it ” because they could afford it.
becoming a distant memory people shopping for things other than food , plus gst.
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Theres no shops at the Waterfront and those at the island site are certinaly not competing with those in Colomberie – therefore this is not the cause.
Times change and colomberie is certainly very tired and out dated – unfortunately so are the shops and their wares.
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@1 Diane – Sorry! parking closer and more convenient to Colomberie than Green Street?
Now that is lazy.
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Diane: that doesn’t alter the fact that shoppers have been encouraged to desert La Colomberie by the promotion of other areas
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4-Response.
Yes it is lazy. But that’s Jersey.
Not me, I might add. I would walk in preference to drive and try to park any day.
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number 2 in this post-a-coment has it so right with the things that have gone for good, the jersey i knew as a child, and all because you sold out to the suits.
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Does this not sound like the Small Retailers Association!
Sorry but life moves on.
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Im not suprised that eveyones deserted colomberie in its antiquated surroundings.
The whole place looks like 1976 as does the equally appalling Quennevais shopping centre.
Jerseys seems to be “stuck” in a 1970,s bubble. Even the attractions like Lion park and Jersey pearl left behind in the 80,s with Bergerac.
Infact Jersey had a lot more to offer in the 70,s than it does forty years later.
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Have the people complaining actually been to the Waterfron – I assume they mean the old abbatoir.
There is a M&S Home, a dress shop, a chocolate shop, a pasty shop and a trendy ladies fashion shop. I have been twice, not bothered again. Oh, the roof was leaking the second time, it was a total non event.
The problem is that Jersey is in recession, people have cut their spending and there are too many shops, clothes shops in particular.
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its called shopping on the web its cheaper the service is 100 percent better and its is delivered to your door minus vat and gst that is why shops are shutting in town wake up to the fact and use web sites yourselves to sell your goods jersey has got to move on
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I know what to do.
Let’s spend a few million tarting up the area. Widen the pavements, plant trees, put in a few traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings, add a few bits of expensive naff street funiture and lighting and get rid of some on-street parking. Simple
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With out a doubt the web is by far the best way to purchase the majority of goods I have over the last 4 months purchased bathroom scales a large hdtv shirts, trainers, training shoes don’t bother with the shops to expensive very few Jersey people are employed in our shops so no real loss to local people seeking jobs at this difficult time as for our government’s efforts to make us buy local when government actually helps Jersey people then perhaps I will reconsider but I guess that is unlikely
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As a kid I used to live in Millais Park in the 1960′s and 70′s and Colomberie was the tourist route into town from the Mont Millais Hotel, The Ritz (!), The Merton etc etc. Plus you had Blue Coach Tours with their Crazy Nite tours.
Sorry traders but the tourists of that era are all dead and our generation travel further afield. Colomberie has no parking, no customers and no future. (And just why is part of it pedestrianised ??? – And the provision of (illegal) parking removed as well !!)
Game over guys – Shut up shop and call it a day !
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The last and only time I went down the old abbatoir, or whatever it is called now, it was like boarding the “Marie Celeste”, they are not exactly queing up to rent all these empty units are they? It is dismal to look at from the outside, and just as bad inside, two years late in opening, why did they bother opening it at all, there is nothing there for the shops in Colombrie to compete with.
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It’s dead, get over it. There aren’t so many hotels and tourists, there isn’t a coach depot there, the traffic has been re-routed, it isn’t an appealing place to visit. Things change, just accept it!
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Mike#13: What people like you don’t understand is that by not supporting Jersey retailers, you will eventually do yourself out of a job because those retailers will not be able to buy your services and then you will be unemployed and not be able to afford to buy off the internet.
It is easy to say things are cheaper off the net, but you are buying from a warehouse not a retail establishment which has, in Jersey, to pay exorbitant rent in comparison to a shed in outer Yorkshire or somewhere, plus pay insurance, social security, rates which help to reduce yours if you live in St. Helier, plus a decent wage to trained staff with sickness and holiday pay. Don’t overlook that these net businesses will only employ cheap labour on an hourly basis with no benefits. Plus you will get no afterservice once you have made the purchase.
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Nigel 17
Quote
not a retail establishment which has in Jersey, to pay exorbitant rent in comparison to a shed in outer Yorkshire
Plus a decent wage to trained staff with sickness and holiday pay. Don’t overlook that these net businesses will only employ cheap labour on an hourly basis with no benefits. Plus you will get no after service once you have made the purchase.
Sorry Nigel but I totally disagree we have been over charged for years in Jersey, as to rents they will / must fall if landlords want to keep there properties rented look at the number of vacancies in St Helier but as usual greed rules
As to sickness / pay cheap wages, look no further than the majority of our business community dozens only pay the ridiculous Jersey minimum wage and to top it all very few Jersey men / women appear to be employed in our shops as to after service I take it your joking
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Mike 18: You’ve obviously never run your own business. You can’t compare a business in Jersey with the internet. Try comparing with other similar size markets, the Isle of Wight, Anglesey,the Isle of Man or many small towns in the UK. Incidently prices in St.Malo are eyewatering.
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