ST PETER PORT will become just like anywhere in the UK if local businesses are replaced by UK chains, according to Tony Creasey.
The Creasey’s director (pictured) said he had seen many changes in Town throughout his career in retail.
‘I came back to Guernsey in 1975 and started working here. It’s only when you think about it that you realise there have been lots of changes. I guess it is the demise of local family businesses.’
He said Bucktrouts, Gabriel’s, Maison Carre and Keyho were some that had gone, alongside local cafes that had been replaced. High street banks such as Williams and Glyn’s and TSB had also changed.
The original Town market, with its 25-30 stallholders, consisting of butchers, florists and fishmongers, had also disappeared.
‘Who would have guessed that we would have three shops selling mobiles in the High Street, plus all the shops like Nsew,’ said Mr Creasey.
The Pioneer in the High Street is the latest to announce it will be closing after more than 60 years.
Article posted on 31st December, 2009 - 2.29pm
25 Article Comments
This is an interesting comment from a retailer who has introduced Marks & Spencer, Wallis, Mostyns & Warehouse (amongst others)to our high street. Is Mr Creasey so very sad at seeing all these UK names, or perhaps just a little worried that he’s losing his monopoly?
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I wonder why Tony Creasey, whose store holds the Marks and Spencers franchise, thinks he has the right to complain about UK chains coming to Guernsey.
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Too late !!
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It’s because foreigners own the bloomin’ buildings, and rent them out at such a high cost!!
Of course, Mr Creasey isn’t particularly being honest, bringing over all his foreign stores!
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My thoughts exactly Gwenn, a bit rich coming from Tony Creasey.
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I totally agree with all the above comments, it seems to me that Mr Creasey is only concerned with not losing the big fat profit his company is making.
Also maybe he now wished he had gone into the new market.
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Irrespective of M&S etc, Mr Creasey is absolutely right. Small is beautiful, as is Guernsey. Keep it that way or forever regret it. In fact, what’s the matter with you people? Guernsey is special. Allowing large UK stores to flood the island and destroy what remains of local ’small’ will bring an end to that special quality.
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Mr Creasey is correct – the staff need time to enjoy Christmas and the town can wait for 2 days – having been on the island for family visiting 4 times this last year and usually that amount every year it is a relief to come to somewhere that is not retail based.
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Expat80 – it’s not what was said, so much as the one who said it. It is hypocrisy for Mr Creasey to complain about UK retail chains coming to the island when he is the head of a company that brings in the very franchises he is moaning about.
Even without the larger stores, small retailers can’t compete with UK shopping and the web. Personally I would rather see UK chains on the island filling buildings and creating jobs than an empty town and higher unemployment.
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Ok, but Mr. Creasey’s franchises Warehouse, Mostyns etc are all stores within his own stores, on his property, and haven’t taken up any other room in the High St. And doesn’t everybody love M&S, whatever town it’s in? If we didn’t have a few of these big’uns I’m sure we’d all be complaining that there aren’t enough clothes shops in Guernsey. Why doesn’t Creasey’s take over Pioneer and dedicate it to quality decorative home items and gifts, a section of retail that I think is lacking in the High Street? It’s what tourists want, as well as we locals!
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Tony Creasy raising the demise of our local retailers and the Market is very interesting and ironic. I am sure his time heading the retail section of the Chamber of Commerce and with his contacts he would have been fully aware of the fate of the above especially the Market. If he and his pals had put the islands culture and history before profit then perhaps just perhaps the Market could have been saved and we would have a Market just like Jersey instead of the disgraceful concoction we have now.
I have concerns over the monopoly Creaseys have on the retail market in our town. Of course there is the argument that Creasey is meeting the needs of market forces and they employ locals in all their outlets. But, we all know that the employment market is very very competitive with more and more Eastern Block workers being employed within all areas of commerce thereby decreasing local employment which takes yet another local aspect away from the argument.
Whilst market forces are a part in the demise of our retail outlets e.g. online shopping increasing year on year, the continuing demise of local retailers in our Town and Bridge is accelerated by those greedy greedy landlords both living in the island and off the island.
Equally, where is the OUR and how can they allow Creasey to monopolise the High Street in such a predatory manner. I would say that by expanding the M&S banner they will eventually pick off their competition one by one thereby destroying both local retailers and choice even more which does not promote the ‘free market’ principle or encourage entrepreneurialism..
This scarey retail model falls inline with the ‘Guernsey Tomorrow’ vision of creating specialised retail outlets in St Peter Port and destroying the retail businessess and jobs in the Old Quarter thereby introducing a retail dictatorship for the few and not the many all done under the very banners of UK outlets which forms the basis of Tony Creaseys conbcerns in his article.
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Pete Burtenshaw
What absolute nonsense as per usual. Do you understand what the word “monopoly” means? The OUR has nothing whatsoever to do with the retail sector, that’s why it’s called the Office of UTILITY Regulation. If you don’t like Creasey’s don’t shop there, you have the freedom of choice. What do they sell that isn’t available somewhere else on the island?
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Phil, please refrain from abuse and personal attacks because I dare give my opinion. I shop in M&S. I also shop in Creaseys Menswear. I like the staff. They are very very polite. They have superb customer care contact and that is something which an awful lot of retail outlets do not have in the island. So, rather then hate Creaseys I actually support Creaseys.
I talk to other retailers who are concerned about the monopoly Creaseys have. I also am very aware of the role the OUR play. My point was that we need fair and balanced competition laws over here.
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Who says he is “complaining”, it sounded more like he was stating the obvious.
@ Paul Le Page – he has the “right” to talk or complain about what he likes. It’s called freedom …
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Pete
I am sorry that you are upset by my criticism of your post, it seems that you are happy to accuse others of knowing nothing, however you obviously don’t like it when you are similarly accused.
Once again, it has to be stressed that Creasey’s DOES NOT HAVE A MONOPOLY OF ANY KIND. It is totally misleading for you to keep suggesting that they do, particularly as you’re a Douzenir and some people might actually believe that what you say is factual.
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Of course he does Guernseyman…..and we also have the right to point out the little phrase about pots and kettles…. :-)
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What is it with Guernsey and the word ‘foreigners’ it’s absolutely ridiculous. We’re the same country (Great Britain) and we’re in a recession. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of our local businesses are not doing so well due to people not being drawn in to the town centre to do their shopping. If we bring in big “foreign” names then this will draw shoppers back into the town centre and spending will increase. Spending increases then more businesses will return to these abandoned outlets that litter our capital!
Also this will provide more jobs for the unemployment market.
It also frustrates me that people are quick to note that we have “foreign” workers in the retail outlets taking jobs away from the poor local people. Working in recruitment for retail I can tell you that it’s incredibly difficult to recruit in the islands. The islands have a higher hourly rate for the lower skilled sector than the same jobs offered in the UK so you can’t really say that the jobs are underpaid. There’s also a wealth of benefits such as healthcare, pensions, discounts etc etc that are part of the remuneration. At the end of the day Guernsey has had it very easy for far too long with high paying jobs for minimal skilled people. 16yr olds walking straight from school into jobs in the bank for example. Realisation has hit and it’s taking people a little while to catch up and realise that the same opportunities are not available at the moment. Saying that, it’s still difficult to recruit unlicensed people, we have to show evidence that we’re unable to recruit locally in order to be granted a short term license. I treat Open Market and En Famillle license candidates in exactly the same way locally qualified candidates – the better candidate gets the job, full stop. The amount of people I’ve had show up for interviews from the Job Centre only to tell me they don’t really want the job but only want me to sign their card so that they can receive their benefit is unreal! But that’s another matter…
Bring on the UK retailers I say. Let’s see our gorgeous town centre full of happy shopping people, putting money back into our little haven (and before you say that it’s going to the brand in the UK remember that they are still paying overheads locally and more often than not the UK names are franchises of local companies such as Creaseys). We will always have the old quarter and the quaint shops. What makes them quaint and special is that they ARE unique and there’s not a hundred of them and they are difficult to find.
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we need to remember that this is 2010, not 1810.
what is wrong in having modern shops with goods and services the local population can enjoy?
i am glad our forefathers had the guts to drag this island forward.
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Lynnie – we’re not the same country. Great Britain is a geographical area, not a country.
Still, that minor technicality aside, I totally agree with your point. This “bloody foreigners” nonsense is embarrassing.
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It seems to me that, all things being equal, Guernsey will get the retail mix demanded by its people.
Large UK-owned chains will prosper if the people of Guernsey choose to use them; smaller local outfits, boutiques and niche shops will prosper if the people of Guernsey prefer them instead.
I suppose a very diverse mix of supply will prosper if that’s what the market demands, but achieving a perfect balance to suit all types and tastes is perhaps not possible. At times retail is a zero-sum game: a good purchased online or from a UK chain often means one fewer good purchased from a unique local store.
Perhaps it comes down to price and convenience. Are we prepared to concede a little convenience and pay a slightly higher price to ensure the sustainability of small, niche, local shops in the centre of Town?
Collectively (and sadly) I doubt it. Just consider the varying fortunes of, say, local fishmonger stalls versus large out-of-town supermarkets. These changes in the local retail landscape could not have happened without enough Guernsey people voluntarily changing their buying habits.
Government could intervene in this supply and demand of the market, but where it can do so very effectively in areas such as education, health care and housing, doing so in retail would be more controversial and arguably far more difficult.
Personally, I am not overly enthusiastic about the redeveloped markets and rarely use any of its shops, save for the Co-op very occasionally. I’d far rather see a broader mix of smaller businesses, including the traditional and independent meat, fish, vegetable and flower stalls, but had they been adequately supported by a sufficient number of customers at the time would market forces not have demanded that they remain?
I’m not personally very supportive of these modern trends, but collectively as a community of 60,000 we must have provoked them.
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Phil,
I stand by the content of my posts.
Your closing comment. ‘It is totally misleading for you to keep suggesting that they do, monopoly Creaseys have, particularly as you’re a Douzenier and some people might actually believe that what you say is factual’. Get a grip on life. Just because I am a Douzenier does not mean I can not have an opinion as a member of the public. Are you saying that a Guernsey man can not have an opinion?
Like I said I talk to retailers when shopping and I shop as a member of the public (not on any official capacity) some of the retailers I speak to are expressing concerns about Creaseys expansion which may impact on other retailers. There is also a mixed bag of other issues which we also discuss and why shouldn’t we. I suggest Phil you get off your backside and go and speak with some of the retailers and see what they say. Better still, speak with some of the local population (if I can use the word ‘local’ without upsetting the PC brigade) and see what they say about the many issues which they are concerned about but dare not talk about in the open. Forced immigration, jobs going to none locals, price of houses and apartments, cost of living, which direction is Gsy going in, the destruction of the StPP skyline, drugs in the island, deaths from drug over doses, poor doctors, crime, poverty, homelessness, cost of renting flats, dire landlords. The list is endless.
You and others may not like what I say and being honest, I don’t give a dam. I see the issues impacting on peoples lives. I do not wear rose tinted glasses like many. We have the English culture and it is destroying our island. We need our own identity back, our heritage, culture and pride. What we have is an island which is becoming selfish, money orientated, I’m ok jack, place to live. You may like this type of environment but I and many many locals like me do not.
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Pete
Here we go again, keep banging the “local” drum. For your information I am a 100% Guernseyman and my family’s Guernsey roots go back hundreds of years.
Where I differ from you is that I don’t believe that entitles me to put forward totally incorrect views as fact. There is no monopoly, end of story. By changing the subject and ranting about all manner of other issues you clearly demonstrate the weakness of your argument.
Oh, and by the way, if your views are so representative of the “local” population, why don’t you stand for deputy? Silly me, I forgot you already tried that, a grand total of 220 people agreed with your views. Truly you are a man of the people.
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I would love a Mcdonalds….
As a note, over 90% of our my families entire xmas shopping (laptops,DVDs,games, clothes, books, toys, xmas lights) was done on the internet through UK chains given lack of choice, high costs and we are now also purchasing clothing, houshold goods from UK stores including basics…we are not alone in this so RIP Guernsey Retailer if change is not embrassed else all you will have is shops catering for daily workers in SPP
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Pete Burtenshaw
I’ve tolerated your nonsense on these forums up until now but I find your last comment extremely offensive…
Yes you have an opinion just as valid as any other person, a Latvian picking flowers in a Guernsey greenhouse because its too low paid work for the likes of you would be a prime example.
The difference between your comment and a Latvians is that you are in a position of (relative) influence and should therefore know better than to spout the utter xenophobic garbage in your last comment.
You bleat on about local values but if the island was left to the likes of you and your self righteous brigade it would go to the dogs in a very short time.
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@ Phil and The Man.
Spot on comments!
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