The Solomon’s Fresh Market store at the Old Fort Bay Town Centre has won the Annual Star Building System Award for Best Building in the south-east US region.

The building won the overall award for the Best Large Commercial Building. This is the first time that a building outside the Us has won this award.

Star Building Systems is the supplier of the metal frame structure for Solomon’s Fresh Market. Each year, it holds a competition to honour the best building using its metal frame structure. Images of Solomon’s Fresh Market will be used by Star Buildings systems in its press releases, brochures and magazine ads.

“It is a great recognition of our one-of-a-kind development here in the Bahamas”, said Marcus Grammatico, vice-president of finance and company secretary for New Providence Development Company (NPD), Old Fort Bay’s developer.

“Our vision was to step up the benchmark in terms of facilities and layout to provide a unique shopping destination. This award affirms our commitment to raise shopping standards to exceed our customer’s expectations. To be grouped with similar buildings within the entire southeast US region and to win this award confirms that NPD is well on its way to accomplishing this goal.”

In addition to the Solomon’s Fresh Market store, NPD is in the process of completing four retail/office buildings which will contain 20 retail stores and a total of over 30,000 sq ft of modular office space.

The first two-building phase of the retail section is opening this month and will include two restaurants, a pharmacy, two designer clothing stores, a furniture and design centre, a home theatre and automation store, an art gallery and a liquor store.

The second phase of retail buildings will be ready for tenant possession in August ,with those stores expected to commence operations in October/November in time for the Christmas season.

Marketing of the office space has recently started. “We are looking for professionals who want to set up offices in the west to service the fast growing needs of western New Providence”, said Mr Grammatico.

“The community wants to eventually be full service without the need to travel east of the airport. We are looking for insurance companies, accounting offices, specialised medical services, dentists and the like”.