Number of empty shops in Guernsey falls

The body representing Guernsey retailers has said the sector is "doing well" after a fall in the number of empty shops was recorded.

Guernsey Retail Group (GRG) said the vacancy rate fell to 8.3% across the island in the last quarter of 2022.

The figure represents a nearly 5% reduction compared with the first quarter vacancy rate of 13.25%.

The survey of empty premises took place in the first full year without Covid-19 restrictions.

According to the British Retail Consortium, the UK's high street vacancy rate in the last three months of 2022 was 13.8%.

GRG said the improvement in retail occupancy in Guernsey was helped by the return of international visitors and more frequent visits to offices.

It also attributed the figure to expansion of existing shops and the success of a programme helping businesses to secure short to medium-term rental agreements.

Korinne Le Page, head of retail development at the GRG, said: "You can safely say the town and the Bridge are doing well compared to the UK.

"Of course there are a lot of concerns with retailers but they are a pretty hardy bunch and they pivot when they need to."

Ms Le Page said online shopping was still a challenge affecting footfall.

She said: "[Shoppers] research online first what they want to buy and then they go out. Before where they might have gone to nine shops, they now go to six.

"But they are still shopping."

Follow BBC Guernsey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].