By YOURI KEMP
Tribune Business Reporter
ykemp@tribunemedia.net
A major Freeport retailer/wholesaler, which yesterday partially reopened its retail store for the first time since Hurricane Dorian, has ambitions to complete the full renovation by end-January 2020.
K Peter Turnquest, deputy prime minister, said it was "admirable" that Kelly’s (Freeport) did not lay-off any of its 124 staff as it steadily rebuilt its building materials and retail operation in the aftermath of the Category Five storm.
Lynn Lowe, Kelly’s (Freeport) managing director, said that while “computer-related issues" had delayed the retail section's re-opening until yesterday it was now a “flurry” of consumer activity inside the store.
"We are looking for the end of January for a full reopening," she added. "We felt it was important to have this open for Christmas, so right now only one-third of our inventory is open to the public, but we have a warehouse of stuff just waiting to put on display.”
Describing Kelly's (Freeport) as "self insured", Mrs Lowe explained that while the company had lost 10 staff members post-Dorian this was due to voluntary departures rather than lay-offs.
John Doherty, Kellys (Freeport's) general manager, had previously told Tribune Business that the company's housewares-focused retail store had suffered five-and-a-half feet of flood water intrusion due to Dorian.
"In 54 years we've never sustained this type of damage," Mr Doherty told Tribune Business. "Dorian was something that nobody anticipated being as strong, powerful and damaging to all the companies on this island. It was unforeseeable that something of this magnitude could happen to Kelly's and many businesses in this area.
"Kelly's is here to stay, and will help to rebuild the island. We're up to the challenge, and will open back up as the new Kelly's. We're redesigning and coming back stronger than ever. Not many companies have been able to maintain their entire staff."
It is now more than three months since Dorian's passage, but many Freeport and Grand Bahama-based businesses have been struggling to either re-open their doors or maintain operations in the storm's aftermath.
A survey conducted shortly after Dorian's passage by the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce revealed that more than half the businesses surveyed remained closed a month after the storm, with at least 11 percent planning not to reopen and others still uncertain about their plans.
One of the major challenges faced by businesses impacted by Dorian is the need for funding, grants and low-interest loans. The government, through the Small Business Development Centre, has made available $10m for small and medium-sized businesses after Dorian’s devastation, but private sector executives have suggested this may not go far enough.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID