More Sunday shopping 'would increase trade'

A NEW Town trader is calling for shops to open on Sundays. Retailer Ben Driver has enjoyed an impressive first two months of trading in the Pollet.

His men's fashion shop, Red Ape, has been so well received that he already has plans to expand with a women's section by late summer.

But he said the high rents in Town had to be met by ongoing innovation and proactive thinking.

'We are coping with the rents and it would be wrong to complain as we knew exactly what we were letting ourselves in for. But retailers have to keep on the ball to stay ahead.'

Red Ape is his first business but he has several years of experience in retail in the UK.

'Sunday was always a very busy day for us as people often have time on their hands,' said the 26-year-old.

He is considering opening on Sundays but said others needed to follow suit to generate interest.

'If several shops opened, even if just for a few hours on a Sunday, we could create a great atmosphere and generate a lot of business.'

Currently some shops open on Sundays when cruise liners visit.

Earlier this year his girlfriend, Maria Falk, was appointed manager of Hotel Fleur du Jardin and he took the opportunity to move over with her and set up Red Ape.

Mr Driver's mother is from Guernsey and he regularly visited as a youngster, most recently on an extended cricket tour in 2003.

'I love the lifestyle and jumped at the chance to come over.'

The couple visited in November to look at premises and viewed a couple, including former Le Chaud Lapin restaurant, before finding their Pollet home.

He said the location was perfect but it had taken a lot of work to get the shop up and running. It is spread over the ground and first floors, with a storeroom above. Mr Driver and Miss Falk live in a flat on the top two floors.

Prior to opening they carried out a three-month intensive overhaul, reflooring and redecorating the whole premises and refurbishing the flat with a new bathroom and kitchen, doing most of the work themselves.

'The flat had not been lived in for 20 years, so it took a lot of work.'

In a short space of time they have created a stylish shop and very comfortable home.

He said the shop design had been influenced by the Scandinavian minimalist architectural style.

In terms of stock, the ethos is very much high-end fashion at affordable prices.

'We have had extremely good feedback and a lot of demand to open a women's section which we intend to have up and running by August.'

In keeping with the shop's name, the business sponsors a baby orang-utan in Borneo through the WWF.