Retailers have to go back to basics to give consumers what they want in order to survive the current downturn, says the new chairman of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce's East End division.

Kirby Brackstone, who, with his wife Isabelle, owns the Bermuda Perfumery in St. George's, said the Island's business people need to focus on the consumers' needs, offering added value in whatever way they can and giving good service.

And he believes that by uniting to share their resources, Chamber members can get across the message that local businesses are the economic bedrock of the community, providing employment, goods and services.

The new hotel planned for the site of the former Club Med in the Old Town has given East End business people hope for a bright future, said Mr. Brackstone, who took over his new role on November 1.

But the prospect of having just one cruise ship per week next year instead of two, means businesses will be lobbying Government to ensure that transport links between Dockyard and St. George's will be sufficient to ensure that visitors can conveniently experience both ends of the Island.

The effects of the global economic crisis had been felt in the East End over the past couple of months, Mr. Brackstone said.

"In September and October, we saw a drop-off, but then everyone saw a drop-off," Mr. Brackstone said. "In St. George's, the drop-off was probably not as dramatic as some of the big US retailers experienced.

"People were just not as willing to open their wallets, but it is up to us to give them a compelling reason to open their wallets and that means offering added value and good service. It's an opportunity for retailers to step up to the plate and provide the goods and services that Bermudians want."

On the rising proportion of residents' shopping being done overseas, Mr. Brackstone said: "We have to find out what it is that they are not finding here that makes them feel they have to buy overseas. Is it service? Is it price? We have to address these issues."

Mr. Brackstone's election marks the revival of the Chamber's East End division, which represents an area stretching from Tucker's Point and Grotto Bay to St. David's, as well as the town of St. George.

The possibility of the area finally getting a new major hotel — after several false dawns — in the shape of the proposed Park Hyatt resort which developer Carl Bazarian is planning to build on the site of the former Club Med, is boosting business hopes for the future, he said.

"There is real optimism that this might actually happen," Mr. Brackstone said. "It seems to have got further than ever before in getting a deal between Government and a developer. If Mr. Bazarian is lucky, then the timing might be just right, if we're coming out of the crisis when the hotel is completed."

He emphasised the importance of the project to the area. "It would put St. George's back on the map as a destination by itself," Mr. Brackstone said. "It would also act as an anchor to the rest of the community, a confidence builder which would certainly help to support businesses like restaurants. It would create a virtuous circle, attracting other businesses into the community to support the hotel."

However, the business community had survived without a major hotel in St. George's for many years, Mr. Brackstone added, and could continue to do well.

Mr. Brackstone wanted to encourage appreciation of the fact that St. George is a Unesco World Heritage Site. "It's a very rare thing and to have one in Bermuda is a very great privilege," he said. "It's a heritage site because it's a wonderful and unique place.

"It's a living 400-year-old town. It's got the beach and the shopping and the history, all in a small area. The Americans who come here love it. People who live in St. George's understand how wonderful our community is and we have to get that message to everybody else."

He encouraged people to visit St. George's for upcoming events, including the bicycle parade in King's Square on December 5, the Bermuda National Trust Walkabout on December 12 and the dropping of the onion on New Year's Eve.