A debate on shopping hours in Gibraltar

It is midmorning on Main Street in Gibraltar and tourists are walking up and down looking for something to do. A couple of off-licences are open, a leather shop and also a couple of bars. All of them are busy.  The trouble is that today is Good Friday and as a predominantly Catholic community most of the shops are closed.
Everybody in Gibraltar knows and understands this apart from the tourists. Their arrival has created a long queue of cars waiting to enter Gibraltar from Spain stretching down past the second roundabout by the Club Marítimo de La Linea. This same scenario is played out on every Bank Holiday and to a lesser extent, on Sundays.
In Gibraltar, Bank Holidays are seen by many as an opportunity to get away for the long weekend. At Easter we see the big rush to the shops on Maundy Thursday followed by a mass exodus to leave the Rock, resulting in long traffic queues at the frontier to get into Spain. The quiet long weekend in Gibraltar is then followed by another surge to the shops on the following Tuesday as people return to restock.
Spain has become a magnet for Gibraltarians on these long weekends, presumably because of the wide range of shops, bars, restaurants and other leisure activities which are available there.  Many of these are also now available in Gibraltar.
So how does Spain, another predominantly Catholic country, cater for this influx of people on such days?
As we travel around the Campo area we find that, as in Gibraltar, many shops are closed. However, from Estepona and beyond it is a different story. Carrefour, the large French-owned supermarket group, is closed in La Linea and Los Barrios but is open and busy in its Estepona store. All retail outlets in Marbella are open for business as usual and packed, as are many other resorts along the Costa del Sol.
On a public holiday or long weekend break, many people want to go to places like Carrefour and to other shopping malls to enjoy shopping facilities. They have more time on their hands.  Staffing does not appear to be an issue at any of these locations. It appears that in Spain businesses have taken a much more pragmatic approach towards Bank Holidays: maximising business opportunities and at the same time satisfying their customers’ obvious demands.
So where does this leave Gibraltar?
There is no doubt that plenty of people are keen to come into Gibraltar on such holidays. Many of these people expect facilities to be open. Gibraltar is increasingly marketed as a tourist destination and particularly its shopping facilities!  This expectation has been actively encouraged in recent years.
This year Gibraltar has also added a new leisure centre and the Ocean Village complex, which will augment the shopping facilities which exist in Main Street, and our heritage offer. What other tourist destinations close on holidays when people want things to do?
Many local businesses will argue that they have opened once before on holidays or Sundays and that the low sales did not merit doing it again. But the problem is that these attitudes create self-fulfilling prophecies. Gibraltar has never been in a better position to capitalise on these opportunities - but the trade needs to be built consistently over time.  Those staff who due to their religious beliefs, do not wish to work are able to opt out of working on these holidays, or from going out themselves.  Whatever they choose, everyone should have the option to spend time with their families and friends to do as they wish.
Times change. Both the UK and Spain view these holidays as opportunities to develop trade on many fronts. We need to take stock of our own position as a tourist destination and decide how best to meet customer needs - surely then, this will mean being open for business?
This article was submitted by Gary Chant, General Manager Wm Morrisons, Gibraltar.

The meeting was held on Thursday 17th April 2008 at the Eliott Hotel. The President gave his address to the group of members attending. In it, he referred to the Chamber’s recently published Annual Report and Accounts and reviewed the extensive range of activities carried out by the Chamber during 2007.
As there were five people standing for election there was a need for an election of the Directors. The result of the vote was that the existing Directors namely, Mr Andrew Haynes, Mr Ernest Felipes, Mr Jeremy Nicholls and Mr Georgie Desoisa were all duly re-elected to the Board.

Parallel running ends in just three months’ time

•    Have you told all your clients and suppliers about the new dialling code?
•    Update your website with new dialling codes
•    Remember to change numbers when ordering new stationery
Just to remind members, the main changes in the new plan are:
•    the introduction of fixed numbers which are 8 digits long; the same length as mobile numbers.
•    all 5-digit numbers will be extended by adding 200 (two zero zero) in front of the five digit number. So to call the Chamber you used to dial 78376. From now on you need to dial 200 78376.
The changes are being phased in over a period of 14 months but that period is coming to an end shortly.  The changeover will be completed to coincide with the publication of the 2008/2009 Telephone Directory in September 2008.
If you have not yet got into the habit of dialling eight digit numbers, it’s not too late, but in October all dialled numbers will need to be eight digits.
Mobile numbers will remain unchanged.

There was a good turnout of Chamber members at a recent seminar on the new EU Funding Programme. The seminar was held in association with the EU Programmes Secretariat at the Eliott Hotel and its purpose was to introduce members to the new Programme, which runs until 2013.
The seminar explained how previous EU programmes had helped several local businesses in the past to access grants to develop their businesses or to start-up entirely new businesses.
The new Programme starts in July this year and members were encouraged to apply if they had a business idea but lacked sufficient funds to start the business.  The first stage is to contact the EU Programmes Secretariat in Europort. The Secretariat guides applicants through the process and if they qualify, they will obtain EU funding to assist the business expand or get off the ground.
One point that was emphasised during the seminar was that EU funds are grants not loans so if a company meets the criteria, they may be eligible to secure a grant. This reduces the amount that the company needs to invest to expand or start the business.
After the seminar, three Chamber members who had attended made appointments with the EU Secretariat to begin the application process. In the days following the seminar, a further two members met with the Secretariat to see if their plans were eligible for funding.

S&T Training Solutions, (STTS), has been set up locally as a ‘one-stop shop’ to provide a comprehensive range of statutory and other training courses.
STTS will bring into Gibraltar qualified UK trainers, and take care of the organisation behind setting up courses and the statutory training required by law and EU regulations.
STTS Director, Josephine Iorns, formed the company because in her previous role as a Human Resources Manager, she found that there was a lack of available certified courses in Gibraltar.
“Employers have a statutory responsibility to look after the health and safety of their employees and proper training by qualified professionals is needed to do this effectively”.
Josephine says “After having arranged many training courses myself, I found that there were
a number of reasons why an organisation such as mine would benefit companies in Gibraltar.”
“Because STTS is a ‘one-stop shop’, it saves clients the onerous task of locating the right course in the first place, as well as the time and costs in organising it.”
She adds, “If more courses were delivered in Gibraltar, it reduces the time that key personnel are away from their desk which is a key consideration for many small local businesses.”
STTS offers a range of Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (RSPH) accredited courses, focusing on Health & Safety and Environmental issues. Health & Safety in the Workplace - starting with a basic course aimed at anyone in a work environment, rising to the top level to Manage H&S and qualify to named “Competent” person’, as required by law.
Manual Handling course, essential for areas of construction, warehousing, deliveries etc. Three levels of Food Safety courses aimed at employees through to managers and owners of Cafes, Restaurants, Hotels. Also under Food Safety a HACCP course – Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Environmental regulations require training in Spill Response, essential to install an Environmental Management System or gain ISO 14001 accreditation. Health & Safety covers an extensive area and there are additional courses in the pipeline. Other courses offered by STTS are Voice Training, Technical Writing Skills and Team Building.
Courses can be delivered as an open course or corporate, and will be offered for a specific date or by request. Statutory refresher courses will also be available to revalidate the accreditation.
Josephine says “As laws and EU training legislation are ever evolving, other courses will be introduced to cover that new legislation”.

The arrival of British Airways back on the Gibraltar to London Gatwick route has been greeted with joy for many business and leisure passengers alike. Fed up with being squeezed in by low cost carriers, many people are relieved to have a quality and premium carrier back on the route.

So is British Airways really better? Taken in terms of leg room with a seat pitch of 34 inches in Club Europe and 31 inches in Euro Traveller, your long legs are the first to realize the difference. The ex-British Airways franchise carrier, GB Airways, had in fact added an additional 20 seats to their planes resulting in a real squeeze in Business Class. Next you will note the difference of impact on your wallet when you realise you do not have to pay for bags up to your permitted weight allowance.
Your patience will not be tried during your check–in experience, which is either on line or with dedicated desks for Club Europe, Gold or Silver cardholders. Club Europe passengers with Gold Cards can pre-reserve their seats online; this prevents any unseemly scenes at the check-in queue. There is also a rather cute and intimate lounge at Gibraltar airport. Club Europe passengers can board when they please.
The in-flight experience is a hot meal in Club Europe complete with sticky toffee gourmet chocolates, complimentary bar inclusive of champagne, liqueurs, coffee and tea. Passengers in Euro Traveller enjoy a complimentary all day deli sandwich with coffee or tea. There are no newspapers served on board so be mindful to purchase reading material prior to boarding in Gibraltar.
At London Gatwick British Airways do provide newspaper racks at the boarding gate with a selection of the major national dailies.
Indeed, it is on the return journey that the British Airways experience really shines. There are at least 20 check-in desks to choose from, inclusive of First Class check-in for Gold Card holders. Club Europe passengers may then FAST TRACK to two fantastic lounges, terraces for all Club Europe passengers and Gold and Silver card holders.
These bright, airy and spacious lounges complete with fountains are a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the main airport lounge. The First Class lounge is open to all Gold Card holders where you can order an entire meal prior to your flight and simply flop into the generous sofas as you sip a glass of chilled champagne.
Boarding in Gatwick is normally on a nearby gate and one has to say the in-flight teams do their utmost to make your journey really comfortable. Above all, British Airways and its team know that they have to fight harder for your business and impress you more.
Apart from a more customised passenger experience, the airline’s Executive Club scheme more than rewards the regular passenger with many little privileges that have simply vanished in the lower cost skies. Overall, in this harassed business world, British Airways is now the only pampering option and with fares often as low as £174 one way (Club Europe excluding taxes) it is by no means always the most expensive.
Current departure times are 11:55 hrs from Gibraltar and 07:00 hrs from Gatwick. These
are to be changed in October with a tad more civilised 13.30 departure from Gatwick and 20.20 departure from Gibraltar.