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BUSINESS SECTORS
The importance of a buoyant retail sector on the Isle of Man should not be underestimated. It is the single biggest employment sector and contributes directly to the quality of life enjoyed by residents across the island.
As well as servicing customer’s needs directly, retailers distribute and market a wide range of locally produced products from the agriculture and manufacturing sectors on the Island, reinforcing a total quality approach from raw material to consumption.
A large variety of, particularly local, retailers service the tourism sector in terms of restaurants, café’s, bars and gift & craft shops, and with shopping becoming a huge leisure activity in modern life, well run retail businesses also capitalise on the discretionary expenditure of visitors to the island.
Douglas, the capital, supports a wide range of retailers from some of the biggest in the UK like Marks & Spencer and Woolworth’s, who have a long history in the town, to local retailers like The Lexicon Bookshop, The Art Stores and Keigs – locally owned businesses that offer excellent quality and service in their stores. There are two quite different shopping centres in Douglas the Strand and Tower House.
The town centres around the Island are generally compact and easy to shop, predominantly filled with good Manx owned retail businesses. The main shopping towns are Douglas in the east; Castletown and Port Erin in the south, Peel in the West and Ramsey in the north. To ensure the future prosperity of retail in these centres, retailers are working with government to regenerate these towns with the development of businesses and offices, car parks and services and activities around the Island.
Tynwald Mills, on the way to Peel, is an excellent example of a total quality approach to range, product and choice, backed up by high standards of customer service, a unique selection of mainly one off stores, creating a destination shopping and leisure experience built around the Mill Shop, which features a selection of the UK’s top mid range fashion brands for men and women.
The major retail sector, food, includes the supermarkets: Shoprite, with 7 stores around the island, Safeway in Douglas and Ramsey, Tesco in Douglas, Marks & Spencer Food in Douglas, Pickwicks with their Spar offer, the Manx Co-op and numerous locally run “convenience” stores, serving the day to day needs of the population. This sector is backed up by Butchers, Bakers, Cafes, Pub’s, Off Licences, Newsagents and Post Offices.
DIY, Home Improvements, Home Furnishing, Toy & Hobby, Household Electrical Goods and Gardening are well represented, again with the UK multiple B&Q competing against many local businesses offering excellent customer service e.g. Rileys, Cubbon & Bregazzi, Waltons, Qualtroughs and Bridge Nurseries.
Health and Beauty retailers range from Boots and Maleys in Douglas, across numerous hairdressers and beauty salons, plus opticians, chemists and gyms.
In keeping with the relative affluence of the population, Gift Shops, Antiques Shops and Jewellers flourish on the Island and at the other end of the retail spectrum Charity shops benefit from the recycling of clothes and possessions.
All the top car marques are represented on the island and this is backed up by a thriving garage and petrol forecourt sector.
The Isle of Man, considering the size of its population, has a diverse cross section of fashion retailers, from budget high street brands to some of Europe’s top designers, and excellent locally owned fashion stores with unique designs and high quality service.
A wide variety of cafes and restaurants serve the needs of residents and visitors. These include country inns and tearooms as well as town centre restaurants and fast food outlets.
In reality every business with a door through which customers step every day is a retailer and when you add banks, estate agents and travel agents to the lists above, there are 1000’s of successful retail businesses operating today around the Island and contributing to its future prosperity.
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