Port Erin retail: the tale of two halves

What has it been like for businesses there in the run up to Christmas?

In this article, I'm heading to our final point on the Isle of Man compass to find out what business has been like for retailers across the Island in the run up to Christmas.

I've been north, I've been west, I've been east, and now I'm heading down south.

Port Erin is arguably the Isle of Man's hottest destination spot.

And what I mean by that, is that it's the place we all go when the weather's nice.

You can get the train there, wander down to the beach, spend the day there, get some dinner and drinks before getting the bus home.

In the summer at least, that is your standard day out.

But I was curious to find out what it was like during the winter months.

And I was greeted by very much a tale of two halves.

I parked up on Station Road and popped into some of the shops along there, and it was really busy.

There were lots of people in the shops, and I struggled to find a gap to be able to have a chat with the owners about how business had been.

So much so that none of them had time to stop for an interview with me. 

And I was really hopeful that I'd be able to share another surprisingly positive retail story for our Island.

But then I went around the corner (after admiring the view for a minute), and went up Church Road on the other side, and it was a very different story.

Almost everyone I spoke to said the phrase 'it's been really hard'.

One shop owner described their situation as 'floating but not swimming'.

Ann has been running New Generation for nearly 30 years:

While Ann's reasons for wanting to sell up are mainly so she can have a well-earned retirement, she's not alone in wanting to take a step away.

In fact, of the five businesses I spoke to on that side, four said they wouldn't be able to continue operating if things didn't improve, with two saying they'd already put feelers out about selling up.

Hana is the manager of S&M Harrison's shoe shop in Port Erin:

I have approached government for a response to the comments about the minimum wage.

A spokesperson from the Department for Enterprise says: "The Isle of Man Government recognises the pressures faced by businesses, especially in domestic sectors. 

"As confirmed by the Minister for Enterprise in Tynwald in December and the Chief Minister in the House of Keys this week, further work is underway to consider additional support relating to the transition to an increased rate of Minimum Wage ahead of the new rate coming into force in April 2026.

"The Department for Enterprise continues to offer a range of support schemes for businesses, including free advisory services, financial assistance for consultancy projects, help with reducing overheads and emissions, and funding for events that attract footfall. 

"Businesses are encouraged to contact enterprisesupport@gov.im to explore the options available to them."

Meanwhile Hannah Mackenzie is the chair of Port Erin Commissioners, and says: "Port Erin Commissioners have an excellent and longstanding relationship with the Port Erin Traders Association and work closely with them on a regular basis. 

"The Board contributes financially to a number of trader-led projects and events throughout the year, and several Board members routinely attend Traders Association meetings to maintain open dialogue and collaboration.

"Indeed, I personally attended a Traders Association meeting only last week, and the matters you have outlined were not raised with the Commissioners at that time.

"That said, we fully accept that it is beneficial for all parties to continue working together in a positive and constructive manner. 

"The Traders Association provides an established and effective forum for collective engagement, and we consider this to be the most appropriate route for issues affecting traders to be discussed and progressed collaboratively.

"Port Erin Commissioners remain committed to supporting the villages traders and to maintaining positive working relationships across the business community."

Hana's points about the decline of community really stood out to me.

I've long banged on about this to anyone who would listen, and now I'm about to bore you with it too.

Because we can't deny that things are hard. And they have been for what feels like a long time now. 

But what happens when times are tough is that we all look inward, because all we have the capacity for is keeping ourselves afloat.

And we've all been doing that for so long that it's now our instinctive reaction, and serving the community around us is no longer our priority.

I don't mean that to sound like a criticism, because it's really not. It's completely understandable given the long list of unprecedented situations we've had to deal with as a society in the past decade.

But what it does mean, is if we want to keep having shops on our doorsteps, cafés to meet our friends in, banks to be able to actually walk into, then we all collectively have to make a conscious effort to change our habits.

One business I've spoken to this month said if every person on the Isle of Man spent just £1 in an independent shop each week, that £85,000 would be the difference for many of our retailers between being able to make a living and closure.

I don't want to say this from my high horse, because I know I could certainly do more to support our local businesses.

And actually, now I've finished my whistle-stop tour of the Island's retail hubs, nothing has inspired me to do that more, because I've been able to see first-hand just what an amazing offering we have available to us.

So maybe if all our New Year's Resolutions were to find that £1 to spend in a local business each week in 2026, if I went and spoke to the same retailers next year, they'd still be there, and they might have had a better 12 months.