Work has started to connect the old HSBC bank premises at 13 High Street to Creasey’s department store at 15 – 19 High Street in Guernsey.
The £10m. project will create a modern, fit-for-purpose retail proposition in the centre of St Peter Port. It will allow the family-run business to bring in more brands and choice to its customers, as well as creating new job opportunities.
Main contractor Rihoy & Son are on site from 3 July 2023. Initially, the contractor’s team will be working on the fifth floor (staff floor) and the fourth floor, where the current Coffee Shop is located. The Coffee Shop will close on 8 July 2023, although the company’s coffee shop in its Smith Street Home Store will remain open.
Scaffolding will be erected after the Island Games has finished. It will completely envelop 13 High Street, the Quayside façade and part of the roof of 15 – 21 High Street. Once in place, demolition and rebuild of 13 High Street will begin.
The project is expected to take three years before all areas are completed.
General manager Stephen Mewha has been given the brief to deliver the store expansion. Mr Mewha joined Creasey’s in August 2022, after a 30-year career running premium department stores across the UK and Ireland for Debenhams and House of Fraser. He brings his knowledge and experience of delivering the brand strategy in House of Fraser’s flagship store in Belfast, including brands such as Jo Malone, Mulberry, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury and Nars.
Mr Mewha said: “I am absolutely delighted to be on the beautiful island of Guernsey and working with the directors of Creasey’s. I look forward to developing the new department store concept and introducing some amazing brands to the island.”
Creasey’s managing director Mr Peter Creasey said: “The Creasey family has always taken every opportunity to reinvest in the business and the current directors are continuing to follow that path. In the mid ‘80s we extensively rebuilt our main premises at 15-19 High Street. Today we are about to embark on an even more ambitious project, which will deliver stunning retail premises fit for the 21st century, complete with escalators, a lift and level floors throughout to make shopping as easy as possible for everyone.
“We are delighted to be working with Rihoy & Son on this project, another long-established local family business. It will be a complex and long job, but we will continue to trade as normally as possible throughout. We have been planning this for a such a long time and I can’t wait to get started.”
Creasey’s director Mr Jonathan Creasey added: “The first contact with the architects was in 2017, and since then a lot has happened. Covid was a black cloud over retail, which created serious doubts about the viability of such a significant multi-million-pound project. However, as a locally owned family business, we’re committed to doing as much as we can to ensure the continued vibrancy of Guernsey’s High Street which has been at the heart of our business since 1899.
“The post-Covid era has reaffirmed the importance of the High Street as a community hub, a place to shop, eat and drink, and bring people together.’
Dan Taylor, Managing Director of Rihoy & Son, commented: “We are looking forward to realising Creasey’s vision and delivering the most significant construction project the Guernsey High Street has seen in recent times. Our project team has worked together with Creasey’s client team to phase the works around the technical and logistical constraints of the site and minimise disruption to customers and Town users in general.
“We are excited to be part of enhancing our island’s town centre.”
