The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian dry-cleaning chain said yesterday that sluggish sales had forced it to rethink its pre-pay policy, telling Tribune Business that it has to take back market share.

     “We’re going back again to allowing customers to pay at pick up for people who come in and don’t have cash in hand at the time,” said Lana Lee-Brogdon, New Oriental Cleaners’ president.

“What we will be doing is offering a 7.5 per cent discount for those who continue to use the pre-pay service and we hope that it will be enough incentive for those who continue to prepay.”

The dry cleaning chain, which operates nine outlets across New Providence, initiated the pre-pay policy last November.

    “We are doing quite a bit right now to improve quality both on the front line and the production side. I think we absolutely have to gain our market share back,” said Mrs Brogdon.

  She added that many companies were merely holding on by a thread at this point. “It’s not even just the implementation of VAT. I really believe it was a series of things,” Mrs Lee-Brogdon said.

“VAT was implemented in January and then we had the whole Baha Mar situation”, with the latter’s impact also being felt at the Wok and Roll Restaurant she operates on Cable Beach.

“It’s been slow to say the least out in Cable Beach. When the expats started leaving the spending went down and then there was the final lay-offs with the Baha Mar employees,” Mrs Lee-Brogdon said.

“Most recently there was the devastation of the hurricane, and I think a lot of things just coming together have really hurt businesses. Being on the board at the Chamber of Commerce we hear a lot of that. I think it’s the worst that we’ve ever seen it.”