Islanders urged to 'shop local' by retail director
BBCA retail director has urged people in Guernsey to shop locally during the festive period and said independent businesses are being "beaten by off-island sales".
Martin Search, director at Guernsey Retail Group, said online orders from shops such as Primark had added to the daily pressures of running retail businesses which he said was "not good" for the island.
Late night opening hours in St Peter Port begin on 4 December and some retailers hope it will encourage islanders to support the town's stores.
Shop owner Gemini Clement, who runs clothing store Nautilus, said shopping local was important to "keep the community alive".
She said she thought some shoppers were prioritising local shops due to "disappointment" with online orders.
"Then its sitting there, you have to send it back. It costs money and if you get into that, people realise they've wasted their time and money," she said.
Ms Clement added: "shopping local is the most important thing you can do, just to keep the community alive".
Ellie Schreibke, who runs Maison Lifestyle, said the festive period was a time when her business made about a third of its overall sales.
"People enjoy what we have and its the biggest time [of year] in terms of sales for us," she said.
"January and February did shock me. We'd been on the high of Christmas and then all of a sudden you get a few people in a day and their dogs," she added.
"It is a personal feeling of stress, you go to bed worrying about it. The days when the sales aren't what you expect, it feels like a whole big deal."
Nick Martel, from Avant Garden and Home, said the Christmas shopping period was "crucial".
"There's more pressure every year just to keep paying your bills and keep the whole thing going," he said.
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