Business on Mainstreet

This mornings Chronicle article referring to the discussions on what Mainstreet businesses actually want to provide in terms of service and shopping experience are interesting.

To any visitor there is only one customer in mind and that is the tourist whether by boat, plane or foot through the frontier. It is in fact a natural home for the more expensive place to shop has also probably the biggest footfall of anywhere. In defence of the costs the rentals for commercial space anywhere near Mainstreet is at best bum squeakingly high. But there is a bigger story. The arrival of wonderful new properties and commercial areas is stretching the choice for the tourist with a Gibraltar pound in their pocket. Moreover when there are few tourists we ourselves can leisurely walk down Mainstreet and onto any of the other venues that are cheaper including Eroski at the border which does a roaring trade. Of course as is the way these businesses retreat to talk a way forward when what Gibraltar needs is a Mainstreet vibrant, competing with each other (difficult when several shops are operated by the same business) and bringing more than just tired street mannequins as entertainment.

Our Government do a great job already bringing regular free entertainment to Casemates, something Ocean Village would kill for but have to pay for themselves. So shopkeepers it is up to you, using an old venacular if you want to increase sales along your shops then “pull your finger out.” Think customer experience and you just might make what is in essence a captive tourist market more profitable by attracting locals too.