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As the number of empty stores on the high street reaches a record high, a plan to turn around the fortunes of town has been unveiled – including proposals to create a St Helier PR agency and making it easier for tourists to claim back GST from their shopping…
Plans to reshape how shops operate and the ways in which customers experience town have been set out in a new strategy published today that aims to “transform St Helier into a bustling retail and cultural hub”.
The strategy, called the Future Fit Retail Roadmap, outlines a vision to address shop vacancies, improve public spaces, and boost collaboration with arts and heritage sectors.
It also focuses on delivering “convenience and seamless experiences for residents and visitors”, while tackling economic challenges through productivity improvements, automation, and reducing reliance on imports.
Retail is one of Jersey’s largest employers, and over 7,000 people work in the sector – accounting for 11% of the island’s workforce.
Pictured: St Helier retail in numbers. (Government of Jersey)
The industry contributes £375 million annually to the economy through wages, profits, and taxes.
The sector, which is made up of more than 900 businesses, also generates half of Jersey’s GST revenue.
Around 7.5 million people walk through the town's main shopping areas each year – about 80% of pre-pandemic levels – helped by two-thirds of Jersey's workers being based in town, and a third of islanders living there.
The vacancy rate in town has reached 9.5% – the highest ever recorded. This is particularly visible as the main shopping area spans just a quarter of a mile.
Pictured: The number of empty stores in town hit the highest level ever recorded in 2024. (Government of Jersey)
The report describes many empty units as "unkempt, unclean, and unattractive and filled with outdated posters".
Online shopping presents another challenge, with the proportion of overall household expenditure attributed to online spending rising by 5% since 2014/15, to an average of £106 per week.
Pictured: Breakdown of average weekly household spending by expenditure group in £ per week. (Government of Jersey)
For some products, the majority of sales happen online – including 58% of books, 69% of computer software, and 49% of photographic equipment.
A recent survey revealed islanders' priorities for improvement.
The top request was for more affordable high-street brands, with H&M, Zara and The Range mentioned 222 times in the Jersey Retail Report for 2023.
Lower prices to match the UK and a wider selection of products were also high priorities, while concerns about parking – especially availability and cost – were raised by 140 respondents.
Pictured: Responses from the Consumer Survey in the Jersey Retail 2023 Report. (Government of Jersey)
Many islanders also pointed to poor customer service and called for better training and a more customer-focused approach.
The roadmap sets out several measures to address these challenges, with 19 "actions" to get them into motion.
Under the plans, businesses in town would be asked to pay an additional fee on top of their rates into a central pot of money. This 'Business Improvement District' scheme would then use these funds to pay for improvements to the area.
The framework for implementing such a scheme is expected to be developed by the third quarter of 2025.
Plans also include replacing paper GST refund forms with a digital system to help tourists claim back tax on their shopping more easily.
The report read: "We have a paper-based Goods and Services Tax refund scheme that is not well marketed and is in-convenient for both consumer and retailer.
"We are looking to digitise the scheme imminently to ensure greater levels of compliance and accuracy, as well as the opportunity to include more retailers and maximise the spend levels from our visitors."
The creation of a PR agency for "St Helier and Retail" has also been recommended, with a view to promoting St Helier as a shopping and cultural destination, alongside a twice-yearly "clean-up" of shop fronts similar to the branchage trimming of hedges. According to the report, the budget requirements for the PR agency should be scoped out by spring.
Pictured: Actions already happening or delivered and the most significant new proposals. (Government of Jersey)
To improve the appeal of St Helier, the strategy also proposes better signage and maps to help tourists navigate the town, as well as promoting locally-made products.
Vacant shops could be repurposed for alternative uses, such as cafés or fitness spaces, under proposed changes to planning rules.
The roadmap also encourages businesses to adopt flexible practices, such as extending opening hours or combining uses – for example, operating as a shop during the day and a fitness space at night.
The Economy Department is set to work with Planning Policy officers to recommend changes that would allow for more flexibility with changes of use.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said: “The retail sector is fundamental to Jersey's economy. Simply, it is impossible to live without it.
“More complicated though is our interaction and our relationship with retailers and how we become aware of, choose, and access goods and services."
Pictured: Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel.
He added: “As we come to the end of the year’s most important retail season, I’m pleased that the Government is working with the industry to make it a future fit. To do that, in a changing retail landscape, we all need to reimagine how people shop.
“Success in transforming Jersey’s retail sector is not just about increasing shop numbers or providing financial support, it is about building on our already vibrant, community-focused environment while enhancing our quality of life and strengthening our economy.”
The strategy will be monitored through regular updates throughout 2025.
Key actions planned for the coming year include reviewing shop opening hours, addressing skills gaps through training programmes, and creating a long-term plan for events and activities in the town.
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