Dec 19 - GSD Says That Small Business Saturdays “Are Not The Answer”
The GSD Opposition says it welcomes the recent Government initiative to promote a ‘Small Business Saturday’, and notes that it will now be held again this weekend. The initiative, says the Opposition, no doubt “livens up” Main Street and provides fun to many families which is a good thing.
According, however, to reports which the party says it is receiving, the commercial success of the venture is a “different matter altogether.” Although the organisational aspects of the event has received positive reports and the initiative was no doubt well intentioned in attempting to attract shoppers to Main Street, the party says that it is being told that businesses have “not benefitted from any substantial additional business.” “This stands to reason,” says a spokesperson, “given that it is largely the same local market which is being sold to.”
The GSD says that these initiatives are often promoted very successfully in the UK, with the aim of attracting customers to a specific catchment area from outside that area. This makes basic economic sense, says the GSD, given that traders are selling to a new and fresh market and not the same people from the area. It is the opinion of the GSD that, in broad terms, this did not happen in Gibraltar, on this occasion.
The Opposition says that, during the GSD’s term of office, it clearly identified Gibraltar’s ‘Shopping Experience’ as an important selling point. The focus then was on targeting shoppers from outside Gibraltar arriving on cruises, by air and the land frontier. The GSD says that people will recall the various “carefully thought-out” advertising campaigns throughout the year. The campaigns focused on shopping in Gibraltar across the board and not just in Main Street. According to the GSD, traders outside Main Street are “disappointed” that the current Government appear to have overly concentrated on Main Street.
The GSD argues that the reality which the Government should be facing is that retailers are complaining that sales have seriously decreased since July, as a result, no doubt, of the problems with frontier flow. The Government, it says, should therefore be considering “appropriate strategies” to mitigate the current situation as a matter of some urgency. This issue, says the GSD, is likely to become even more serious after the Christmas shopping season is over. The Opposition’s concern is the impact not only that this will have on Main Street but also on the wider economy in terms of employment, for example.
According to further reports which are being made to the GSD, the temporary relocation of the Coach Park to the Naval Grounds is also having an impact on traders in the area of Watergardens, Ocean Village and Casemates. The GSD believes that this shows that “more thought” should have been given to the temporary relocation of the Coach Park.
Damon Bossino, Opposition spokesman for Commercial Affairs and Tourism said:
“The previous buoyancy in our economy cannot now be taken for granted and in light of the Spanish hostilities, the Government needs to do more to develop a well thought-out strategy which will boost sales for the sake not only of Main Street Traders, but importantly our future and continuing economic well-being.”
