A poisoned chalice or a diamond in the rough?

Monday 24 February 2020

The kiosk at the western end of Cobo needs a new tenant, having gone through four different operators in the last 10 years.

L'Estrainfer Kiosk has now been tendered four times in the last decade, and should a suitable operator be found this time, they will make the fifth in that period.

When the announcement went out on social media that the States were looking for a new operator, questions were raised on social media as to whether the site might be a "poisoned chalice". Others said the site itself needed improving: "make it bigger like others with loos and seating, and keep it running with better parking," one commenter said.

Deputy Neil Inder is one of the former tenants of the kiosk. On Twitter, he warned anyone interested to "be careful".

Be careful https://t.co/bo56b66HKW

— tothevale (@tothevale) February 8, 2020

Clarifying to Express, he said: "it's fairly clear the ones that work and the ones that don't. The ones that rarely come up for tendering are solid businesses, the ones that do come up regularly are less solid."

If someone is interested in the L'Estrainfer Kiosk, the concession agreement for operating the site would be for a fixed period of three years. Mark Ogier, Head of Estates Strategy said: "Our coastal kiosks offer a unique and valuable service in key locations around the Island. The Kiosks can be operated year round with the primary period between Good Friday and 30 September in each year."

Pictured: Expanded seating, better parking, or just a bigger and more up to date building? What would make you use the kiosk at Cobo more often?

A spokesperson for Property Services, who can be contacted on 717376 for more information, added: "With many having been operated by the same individual or family for many years, each kiosk provides its own unique offering, enhancing the fantastic beaches and coastline around the Island. There are a variety of reasons why operators in some cases choose not to continue with their kiosk.

As the discussion continued on social media, others suggested island kiosks themselves needed improvements. Some looked back to a blog written by Naftel Associates, urging Guernsey to "bring our kiosks out of hibernation". 

That blog posed this question: "What if you didn’t have to bypass all of these boarded up summer-only kiosks that have gone into hibernation for the winter months? What if there had been a cosy little retreat at the end of your walk giving you the chance to warm up with a welcoming hot drink by the wood burning stove, all the while taking in our beautiful, under-utilised coastline?" You can read the full article here. 

Pictured top: L'Estrainfer Kiosk at Cobo.