As always, weather played a key factor in their earnings and affected locations differently.
‘The season started with northerly winds blowing straight on the beach. Regular swimmers weren’t swimming and even the kitesurfers found it too rough,’ said Pembroke kiosk owner Lynn de Carteret.
‘Because it was such a slow start, I would say that it’s been a bad year for us.’
However, business did pick up as the season went on.
Across the bay at L’Ancresse, kiosk operator Deirdre Dudley-Owen said they avoided some of the impact of the northerly winds, as they can shelter people inside.
‘In April and May, all the winds seemed to be coming that way,’ said Grandes Rocques kiosk owner David Barlow.
‘So it benefitted us because people tend to think, “Right, let’s go somewhere, let’s hit the beach. Where’s going to be sheltered?” Luckily over here, you can always find somewhere.’
Mr Barlow noted that for the past couple of weeks the westerly winds had picked up again, which can benefit the northern kiosks in what he called a seasonal ‘vice-versa’ situation.
Nevertheless, Mr Barlow said that after two years of disappointing business, 2025 had been a strong year for the kiosk.
‘It’s been a really good year, although it seemed to abruptly end after the August bank holiday weekend. It’s been generally dry, and if it’s rained, it seems to have been at night or in the mornings,’ he said.
Open year-round, Mim’s Kiosk at Cobo has seen a large increase in revenue this year, although September had similarly been slow, given the westerly winds.
‘I have no idea why, I’m hoping it’s my reputation,’ said owner Mim Sarre of the spike.
At L’Ancresse Ms Dudley-Owen said she had noticed an increased impact of visitors to the island on the kiosk’s business.
‘We’ve been put on the map for our octopus salad and crab sandwiches and we’ve got amazing reviews on Google,’ she said.
Ms Dudley-Owen said the kiosk has had visitors come directly to L’Ancresse just for their food.
While Pembroke and Grandes Rocques are closing for the year at the end of September and October, respectively, L’Ancresse and Cobo will remain open throughout the winter months.
You need to be logged in to comment.