28 December 2000 - 3January 2001

Pulling in the people

One month after the opening of Baystreet, Chris Grech, partner and operations director of the complex, talks to Blanche Gatt about the ups and downs of coordinating such an ambitious project

A year ago more than half of St Georges Bay seemed to be concealed menacingly behind hoardings. Six months ago the street looked like some futuristic building site, with anonymously towering concrete walls of alarming proportions looming over devastated pavements. A month ago, thousands of excited sight-seers thronged to the opening of the much-vaunted Baystreet complex as the wooden hoardings were drawn aside as tantalisingly as the stage curtains in a theatre.
Last week, Christmas week, the passages and halls of Baystreet were so crowded with shoppers and strollers that I trembled slightly as I watched my 11-year-old wander off into the throng with her gang of friends; yes, Baystreet is their new “hang-put” place, where they meet up to go window shopping, eat a burger and play video games for prizes. Suddenly, this month-old shopping and leisure complex is on everybody’s route map, whether they are kids who just want a safe place to hang out, or shoppers on a mission, or clubbers looking for a late night drink to re-charge their batteries on.
This rapid absorption of Baystreet into the entertainment culture of so many is fascinating, but just as many are asking, is this just a fad? A new destination, lots of hype before-hand, it was bound to be successful. But can it last? I spoke to Chris Grech, operations director of Baystreet just two days before Christmas. Baystreet was full of last-minute shoppers, carol singers and children dressed up in Santa suits. The only quiet corner we could find to talk in was the lobby of the Baystreet Hotel, a peaceful haven from the bustle beyond its discreet glass doors.
“When my partners, Paul Camilleri and George Muscat, and I got together to create Baystreet,” said Chris, “we first assessed what we felt was lacking in this country. We looked at what we felt people needed. And the brief we came up with for ourselves was to build something that would be sensitive to the needs of the local community as a whole, as well as a service to the tourist market.
“We realised that the trends in the leisure industry were changing, and that what we needed to create was a destination, one that offered a mix of services that would complement and not compete with existing outlets, as well as to break away from the definition of entertainment as a night time activity and pioneer a new concept of family-oriented entertainment.”
In fact, Baystreet boasts a broad mix of services, from retail and food and beverage to arts and culture, education and games. “We have 65 different operators within Baystreet,” continued Chris, “and each of them was specifically chosen because of the way that they fit into the combination we wanted to create. There are shops and services to suit all ages and all pockets; in fact, our idea is that you don’t have to spend money to come to Baystreet. The place is specifically designed to make people feel it is open to all, and that they are comfortable to just come in, wander around and not buy anything.”
Since their opening on 2 November, Chris tells me, an average of 6,000 people a day have visited Baystreet. “The individual shops have been doing very well,” he went on, “though I have not got the final figures, they have all been reporting record turnovers.”
Taking into account the expenses borne by the operators, who were all responsible for the finish of their own shops, Baystreet cost in excess of Lm25m to build. And there is still work going on.
“In fact,” commented Chris, “Baystreet is about 80 per cent operational. The hotel, four-starred, Bay Street Hotel Complex, is not quite ready, with 50 per cent of its 125 rooms still to be finished.
“The Discovery Centre, is not yet complete, and is only open for schools until the first week of January, and the 120-seater theatre within the Discovery Centre still has some unfinished work – but these will all be completed within the first few weeks of January.”
The place can certainly boast
a beautiful design, and the busy, crowded shops and passages have already given it a feeling of life. But can it sustain the pace beyond the initial curiosity factor and Christmas boost?
“Our intention all along,” answered Chris, “was to create at least two or three very strong anchors. And one area that we really highlighted was the artisan market. We felt that there was something of a lack of sensitivity towards the local arts and crafts market, and that it was a very interesting area to tap into.
“Now, a month after opening, our artisan market has already created a strong interest in local things like pottery, filigree work, local wood works and glassware. We get lots of local people coming in and buying these things, but not only do they shop, they also stop and have something to eat in our Maltese Restaurant, or watch one of the performances that are put on, or just wander around and look at everything; the market is situated within a re-construction of a village square, and it’s lovely to just stroll through it.”
“This is the pivotal point of our concept,” added Chris. “It is the people who are going to make Baystreet. It is the people who will keep it alive. And this is why we feel it is so important to have the right mix, the right retail outlets, and many different activities all the time. We want the place to be alive, to have its own character – and we have created a platform that allows us to offer all this.”
While Chris’ strong focus on people rather than customers is laudable to be sure, I can’t help wondering what the 65 operators feel about it, considering that each one of them has invested significantly in the project. “First of all,” replied Chris, “when I say I don’t mind whether people spend money or not when they come here, it is because I know that they’ll be back, they”ll return time and time again because they are not being pushed to buy or spend, and eventually they will spend money here. And, as all of us, including all the operators, are committed to a long-term investment here, we all recognise the value of this, of making our customers feel comfortable.”
“Besides,” he continued, “the operators have a regular involvement with the operations of Baystreet. We hold monthly meetings, with additional ones when necessary, and circulate questionnaires, elicit comments, ideas and observations from them all the time. Most decisions that are taken will have a strong input from the operators themselves – we are all partners here.”
So what type of comments has he been receiving from the operators up to now? “So far everyone I speak to is pleased with the way things are going. However, of course, it will be at least six months before we can make any judgements about whether or where operations need to be pumped up – we’ve only just been born, so it’s a bit early to draw conclusions.”
On one matter, however, conclusions may definitely be drawn, and that is the question of parking. The congestion of traffic around the area was phenomenal on the day that I went, and fellow drivers were clearly suffering from the frayed nerves that searching for somewhere, anywhere! to park invariably produce.
“Of course we are aware of this,” said Chris, “and we have come up with an interim solution to this problem. We offer our customers a park and ride service from the Luxol car park, and this is now starting to work, with lots of people beginning to use it. There are also quite a few car parks in the vicinity – the Hilton for example, and there will soon be the new Eden Car Park for people to use. And in the meantime, another new car park is being planned. This will be built on a piece of land behind the Villa Rosa, so the problem should soon be alleviated considerably.” Baystreet has generated a significant number of new jobs and employment opportunities. Including part-timers, Chris tells me that around 700 people work in the complex, employed either in the Baystreet team, or with one of the various operators. Buskers, street performers and artists are all given the chance to make use of Baystreet to peddle their wares, and as the operation grows, the number of opportunities available will surely grow with it.
“We have a wonderful team of people here,” enthused Chris. “And we are already becoming a family with a very individual spirit of our own. The synergies that have been created here are very rewarding.”
“Baystreet never switches off,” said Chris. “The heart of this place is permanently pumping 24 hours a day.” And he and his two partners are, naturally, carried along with it. “The amount of energy required to run Baystreet is unlimited. It is actually functioning 18 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is no time that Baystreet closes as such, and this means constant surveillance to keep up the standards and give it space to grow. My partners and I are all hands-on in the management of the place, George Muscat dealing with the infrastructure, Paul Camilleri with the hotel and finance, and myself looking after operations.
“But though it is extremely demanding, we are going through an essential learning curve, and starting to understand what are the requirements to make Baystreet happy. We are starting to see the synergy and the potential for growth into a place that is permanently alive, into a place that truly fulfils our original brief.”