By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A FREEPORT-based food retailer is expanding its operation to New Providence this summer by taking over the former Saveco store in Nassau Village, Tribune Business can reveal, in a move set to create around 100 jobs.

Tish Capron, marketing coordinator for Sawyer’s Fresh Market, told Tribune Business that the Freeport-based retailer, owned and operated by Sandy Sawyer, is expecting to open its Nassau outlet by early September.

Ms Capron said: “We’re still in the initial stages of trying to put everything together. As far as a date, I can’t say at this time, but it’s definitely going to be this summer before schools re-open and we’re looking to employ about 100 persons.”

Sawyer’s Fresh Market is looking to open in the old Saveco building on Taylor Street, Nassau Village.

The company held job fairs on June 30 and July 5, and Ms Capron told Tribune Business: “All positions are available. We’re looking to employ just under 100 persons for starters.

“Thousands of people showed up at the job fairs. We weren’t expecting that.  Seeing the impact of the job fairs, and bearing in mind the economic downturn, you can see that people are in need. We are coming in to try and offer some competitive prices to ease the burden oo people in Nassau.”

Ms Capron was unable to comment on the level of investment Sawyer’sFresh Market is planning to pump into the venture to re-fit the store and get it ready for opening, adding: “We don’t have a totol cost as yet, but it’s going to be fully transformed to mimic the layout that we have in Freeport.

“Our colours are orange and green, so it’s going to be transformed to match that. We haven’t put up the sign as yet but all of that is going to come a week or two before the actual opening.”

Ms Capron said: “This will be the second main store. We will offer fresh produce, meat and dry grocery. We are coming with our record, friendly service, freshness and good prices. We will carry a wide variety of brands people are familiar with. We are going to also carry some of our brands, which is the Save-A-Lot brand, and then we are going to carry the US brands.”

Mr Sawyer and his Fresh Market concept have been looking to expand for some time, Tribune Business having previously revealed that they attempted to take over the former City Markets Eight Mile Rick store in 2010 when the latter chain was still owned by the BSL Holdings majority shareholder.

This newspaper was subsequently told that Sawyer’s Fresh Market at one point looked at taking over leasehold interests in all three City Markets’ Grand Bahama locations, including Lucaya and downtown Freeport, but ultimately was unable to pull the deal-off.

It has now turned its attention to breaking into the New Providence food retail market, entering at a time when the industry has undergone major consolidation and the disappearance of two major players, in the shape of City Markets and Robin Hood.

City Markets’ business, and its former sites, have been split between Rupert Roberts’ Quality Supermarkets’ chain and BISX-listed AML Foods, the two major players. The former is dominant in the mass market food retail business, the latter in the destination store niche.

Apart from these two, the remaining industry players include Phil’s Foods and the neighbourhood/convenience store chains. It will thus be interesting to see if Sawyer’s Fresh Market can establish itself as a significant presence.

Tribune Business understands, from sources close to developments, that after Saveco closed its doors the property owner engaged a real estate firm to market the Taylor Street property to potential buyers. No deal was said to have been forthcoming, hence the lease tie-up with Sawyer’s Fresh Market.

Other food retailers are understood to have shied away from the Saveco building, having been put off by its location in Nassau Village and the area’s reputation as a ‘high crime’ spot - something unlikely to attract shoppers from other population centres, especially in the evening hours.

“It’s too big of a building for the location, and it’s the wrong location,” one competitor told Tribune Business.