'Running a business in Strand Street is more difficult than ever'

Traders in Douglas say it's becoming an 'uphill struggle' to operate in the city centre

Heading on my tour of the Island, I've been north and I've been west, and now it's time to look east.

I was pleasantly surprised by Ramsey's successes but sad to hear how challenging things seem to be for businesses in Peel.

So what's this festive period been like for traders in Douglas?

Well, first of all, it was hard for me to actually find any independent traders because they are few and far between on Strand Street.

The general feeling though was that business has been 'okay'.

Deb from Bon Fabrics told me they've been 'manic', but things like bad weather do have an impact:

One business I spoke to made an interesting point as well about the rise in the number of local Christmas markets and craft fairs we've had across the Island this year.

They said they themselves had been to 18 since the start of November, and we all love a little Christmas market don't get me wrong, but the owner told me it's led to a noticeable decline in sales in their actual shop.

The looming rise in the minimum wage is also a concern for a lot of businesses.

One told me he's working 14-hour days because he can't afford to employ another member of staff now, while another really objected to having to pay untrained and inexperienced staff the same as someone who's been working for years.

Another thing that businesses often say is that footfall in the city centre is particularly low.

And Lee Watson from Extreme Arts and Gadgets on Duke Street says it's something he's really noticed:

I have to admit, while I was there, it was relatively busy in town, and it was a miserable wet and windy day.

Although it was around lunchtime I was there which, as many traders told me, is one of the peak times for them.

But another issue cropping up time and time again is parking.

As we heard in Peel yesterday, Douglas isn't alone in its struggle, but almost all the businesses I spoke to raised it as a problem.

Because if there's not enough parking, there's not enough footfall.

And as one of the owners of the Creative Shop, Kieran Brown told me, it's a problem that continually seems to fall on deaf ears:

As Kieran mentioned, there are often calls for more well-known chains to bring their stores to Douglas *insert the calls for a Primark here*, but would that actually increase footfall?

Most if not all the big names have websites, and why would you brave the wind and rain to go to a relatively small shop with a relatively small percentage of their stock, when you could sit on your sofa in the warm and dry and browse their full inventory from the comfort of your own home?

To me, that doesn't feel like the answer.

Douglas needs to be able to offer something that you can't get anywhere else, and like Kieran said, it needs to be easier to go to Douglas and get something than it is to order something online and get delivered.

And the severe lack of independent shops in Douglas City Centre is proof of how tough it is to be successful as a small business there, and seems to reinforce the message that we've been hearing repeatedly for years now - 'use it, or lose it'.

Response from Douglas Council

A spokesperson says: ‘Through Douglas City Centre Management, the local authority is constantly striving to help attract people to the city centre and, as a result, assist businesses.

 ‘The Council has been putting on events every weekend and each Thursday evening since the Christmas lights were switched on with the specific aim of boosting footfall. It is also providing free car parking each weekend, and on Thursday nights in Shaw’s Brow and the Bottleneck car parks, so a lack of free car parking during those periods is not an issue.

 ‘Earlier this year, Douglas City Centre Management asked the public what would encourage them to visit Douglas more often for shopping or leisure. The leading response, by far, was parking, with many respondents specifically calling for more spaces, cheaper or free parking.

  ‘Since then, the organisation has run two on-the-ground surveys during peak times in key public car parks across Douglas to see how many spaces are actually available.

 ‘The results suggest there isn’t a shortage of parking with an average of more than 250 spaces available during weekday lunchtimes and over 500 on Saturday lunchtimes.

 ‘The Council will be making an announcement in the new year in relation to free parking, once the Christmas-related free periods are over.'

Response from the Department for Enterprise

A spokesperson from the Department for Enterprise says: "The Department for Enterprise recognises that some businesses are facing trading pressures, particularly those on the high-street.

"Through Business Isle of Man, the Department is actively engaging with businesses, listening to their concerns, providing guidance, and signposting them towards support schemes designed to offer targeted assistance for high-street businesses across the Island's towns and villages in line with the Local Economy Strategy.
 
"Over the past six months, Business Isle of Man has carried out one-to-one check-ins with 70 businesses in Douglas, as well as meetings with Douglas City Council.

"Since it opened in April, the Town and Village Regeneration Scheme has received 21 applications from Douglas based businesses for projects aimed at improving their appearance and accessibility.

"In addition, targeted seasonal support remains available during the winter period for hospitality, retail, and leisure venues to host events that help drive footfall. For the current period (beginning October 2025), the Winter Event Scheme has provided support to six Douglas-based businesses to deliver several events including comedy shows, music nights and themed dinners.

"Support for larger events is also available through the Domestic Event Fund, which this year has supported Christmas Markets in Douglas, Mann Made festival, the Drone Show on Douglas Promenade, and TT Quayside supporting an estimated footfall of 40,000.
 
"Promotional support is provided year-round, with businesses invited to participate in initiatives such as the 'Meet Your Street' video campaign and the festive 'Love Manx Buy Local' campaign.

"In the lead up to Christmas over 25 Douglas-based businesses have benefited from promotional activity through social media posts, reels, shares and mentions in radio and print ads.

"The Department remains committed to supporting the Island’s local economy. Any business wishing to engage further can contact the team at contact-business@gov.im to arrange a meeting. In addition, the Department continues to offer a wide range of business support and assistance schemes, details of which can be found here."