SHOPPERS and retailers do not believe Town is dying. They said the picture was not as grim as Deputy Brian Gabriel had made out when he spoke in the States last week.
While agreeing the internet had had an impact, they doubted whether people had stopped spending their money in St Peter Port.
HS2 owner Marc Maubec said Deputy Gabriel was being a little pessimistic.
‘We invested quite a bit of money when we moved into our new shop in the Pollet and we’re still positive. We wouldn’t have done so if we weren’t.
‘Shops like HMV coming to Town also help its vibrancy, but you have to give people a reason to come in.
‘It seems to be the people who invest in their store are the ones who perform better.’
Shopper Debbie De Carteret disagreed with Deputy Gabriel’s views. She goes to Town every Monday.
‘I don’t think it is true that Town is dying. Creasey’s and Marks & Spencer are still as busy as ever.
‘There’s New Look and HMV in the Markets and because of new shops like that, I think more kids are coming into Town now.
‘There’s more shops for them, with the English stores coming over.’
Rose Le Cras shops with Mrs De Carteret. She also thought Town was as busy as it had always been and would support further pedestrianisation, as has been proposed for the seafront recently.
‘There are always loads of people when we come in and we usually find it hard to park.
‘I can understand him ‘Deputy Gabriel’ thinking the internet has had an impact because I do use it for shopping, but you can’t necessarily see what you are buying or try it on first.
‘If they pedestrianise Town, I think it would be brilliant. It’s like that where my daughter lives in England and she says it works really well.’
Paul Hewitt also doubted whether Town had got quieter.
‘I still use it quite a lot. I do quite a bit of shopping on the internet but with things like clothes, it’s difficult because you can’t try them on first.
‘We mostly come in at the weekend and it’s definitely not quiet on Saturdays. The only shops I can think of that Town is missing are those dedicated to men’s shoes. There’s very few of them.’
However, he did not agree with closing the Town seafront to traffic to make it more shopper-orientated.
‘You need to have easy access from one side of Town to the other. The main pedestrian bit through the middle is fine.’
Fletcher Sports owner Terry Ferbrache said: ‘I think Town is still good and performing well. However, we have to be careful that access is easy and that there is always enough parking.’
Mr Maubec did agree with Deputy Gabriel’s views on parking.
‘The parking in Town is a big issue because we haven’t got enough. I’m a big believer in the polluter pays theory.
‘With the decision they made last week, the States is making it very difficult for people working in Town.’
Article posted on 3rd April, 2007 - 12.00am
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