Commercial Our other businesses, complement our primary business of Energy and align their activities with our Group Purpose and Vision. Retail by making energy efficient appliances and low-carbon heating solutions available to Islanders, JEBS are instrumental in fuel switching and expanding the EV charger network. Jersey Energy is at the forefront of modern environmental building services design, and Jendev supports our technology projects, including our Smart Meter roll-out and subsequent app design. Powerhouse.je
Buoyed by a record-breaking start to the financial year, our Retail business the Powerhouse store and its online arm, powerhouse.je continued to perform well throughout the past 12 months despite COVID-19 restrictions. Revenue increased 11% from £17.8m in 2020 to £19.8m, resulting in a rise in profits of 30% from £1.2m to £1.5m. The exceptional trading performance was achieved by a combination of customer focus, maintaining stocks under increasing supply chain pressures and our ability to continue trading, both in-store when competitors were closed, and online with either fast home delivery or click and collect when we were forced to temporarily close or restrict numbers in the store. Buoyant trading in October 2020, assisted in part by the Government of Jersey’s scheme to boost the economy post-COVID lockdown by giving every Islander a £100 to spend locally, was maintained throughout the year as COVID-19 continued to affect spending, for example, due to less travel taking place out of the Island. It did, however, briefly adversely affect the business in November.
Resilient trading
Following one employee testing positive for COVID-19, the store was closed for two days for deep cleaning but we were able to continue trading online. We have invested in our ecommerce platform, enhancing services such as free home delivery and click and collect, and securing new product lines when many competitors were closed. The Powerhouse was able to remain open during the Government’s winter COVID-19 circuit-breaker that closed non-essential retail and social venues. We took extra precautions, however, by restricting the number of customers in the store to equal the number of sales assistants on shift. We did not permit general browsing, giving us extra control and time to clean thoroughly between customers. We set up a Sales Office to cope with telesales and remote support. Four people moved from the shop floor to answer phone queries and support remote sales online by phone. We began year-round Sunday trading for the first time and recruited nine additional people to cover the extra hours and demand.
Adapting to supply chain pressures
Like every retailer in our sector, our supply chain is still under enormous pressure. Generally, stock at the suppliers is still in short supply, and manufacturers compete globally for components, particularly microchips. Many factories are still affected by
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lockdowns and social distancing, plus many imports are experiencing delays and increased costs because of the shipping container crisis. As a result, we have been unable to source our usual volumes of key products such as PlayStation. We have adapted by changing our ordering patterns by forward ordering our core range of TVs and major appliances to secure supply for the next six months. Our strategy has been to reduce focus on the width of stock available and concentrate on having good stock depth of a core range of products. This year we have further diversified into new categories and expanded our range of e-mobility products in support of the corporate Vision of inspiring a zero-carbon future. We plan to launch new brands and subcategories and provide new services in the smart home area. The Powerhouse has an ambition to be recognised as one of the best independent electrical retailers in the British Isles. This year, the team was rewarded by winning three awards: PC Retail (Best Independent Retailer), Innovative Electrical Retail (Best Superstore Showroom), and Best Domestic Appliance Retailer. Though the challenges of COVID-19 continue to affect the retail sector, we have proved time and again over the past 18 months that our people are able to adapt and continue to serve Islanders.
JENDEV
Since 1998, our in-house digital solutions business Jendev has developed and supported Jersey Electricity’s corporate systems. Jendev provides digital solutions for all business areas (including third parties), delivering a mix of standard and bespoke systems. As a core business capability, they help the rest of the Company develop and deliver improving business process efficiency and customer experience. The team is not only an important internal resource, the Company has monetised
