This is Jersey - 1979 - Part 5

From 1979 comes this holiday guide - "This is Jersey". This is a flat brochure which is larger that the later glossy designs, and it doesn't have nearly as many pages - 16 double sided in all, including front and back covers.

It does provide a very interesting snapshot of the tourism scene in 1979, just as it was more or less at its peak, just before Bergerac launched, and before the package tour market and cheap holiday destinations abroad made Jersey's prices suddenly more expensive and the bottom fell out of the market.

Tourism is today rebuilding a new approach geared to the lifestyle of the modern tourist. It still has plenty to offer, but the old style of tourism probably won't sell today. But here's a chance to capture that flavour.



The guide has this to say on Jersey's beaches:

JERSEY'S GOLDEN SANDS

ST. OUEN'S BAY. Five miles of gleaming sands and a paradise for surfers.

ST. BRELADE'S BAY. Glorious golden sands.

OUAISNE BAY. Good stretch of sand with safe bathing.

ST. AUBIN'S BAY. A lengthy stretch of sand (about 3 miles) all the way from St. Aubin to town.

GREVE DE LECQ. A very popular sandy beach Safe, but deep water is reached very quickly.

HAVRE DES PAS. A pleasant stretch with two small sandy beaches.,

THE DICQ, LA MARE, GREEN ISLAND. Three more safe, sandy beaches with cafe facilities.

ST. CLEMENT'S BAY, THE ROYAL BAY OF GROUVILLE, LA ROCQUE. The first two have long stretches of sand and are safe for bathing .

ANNE PORT, ARCHIRONDEL. Small sandy beaches in attractive settings.

ROZEL BAY. Bathing is safe in the area of the harbour.

The perfume advertised by Babs Tilley here was very recent in 1979. My research gives this:

Mystere by Rochas is a Oriental fragrance for women. Mystere was launched in 1978. The nose behind this fragrance is Nicolas Mamounas. Top notes are coriander, galbanum, hiacynth, aldehydes and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, tuberose, violet, orris root,jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, narcissus, rose de mai, cumin, rosemary, gardenia and plum; base notes are styrax, cypress,
patchouli, musk, civet, oakmoss, cedar and sandalwood.

Babs Tilley was just one of many perfume shops in St Helier, and was in the Parade. Elsewhere in King Street and Queen Street there was Vanity Fayre, Elegance and Au Caprice, as well as the larger shops - Boots, De Grucy, Voisins - with their own perfume counters.

Cheap perfume, along with cheap cigarettes and cheap booze was one of the major attractions in Jersey, and  at one time principals of a number of the perfume companies also met together once a year before the holiday season to ensure they didn't undercut each other's prices - there was plenty to go round! It was, I suppose, a form of cartel with price fixing.

But perfume still remains less expensive than the UK. In 2006, the Telegraph reported:

Fragrances, cosmetics and bodycare products are even more of a bargain. Au Caprice in King Street sells an impressive choice of brands, including Chanel, Dior, DKNY, Estée Lauder, Givenchy, Gucci, Prada and Versace, at up to 25 per cent less than in the UK. Chanel No 5 100ml eau de parfum costs £51.75 (rrp is £69 in the UK). All the latest fragrances are here, along with old favourites such as Balmain's Jolie Madame (100ml eau de parfum cost £16.95 compared with £39 in the UK). I even found a personal favourite, Paco Rabanne's Calandre, which I haven't been able to buy in London for years.

Now most of the individual shops have gone, and Au Caprice was sold to a UK chain - Feelunique - a few years ago. The JEP reported in 2011:

A LONG-ESTABLISHED Channel Islands cosmetics and perfume business, Au Caprice, has been acquired by Europe's largest online beauty retailer, feelunique.com.