By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Milo B. Butler & Sons group is targeting a re-branding over the next 12 months to “better reflect our great history”, with its second liquor store the first glimpse Bahamians will get of these aspirations.

Franklyn Butler II, the group’s president, told Tribune Business yesterday that its second Flying Dutchman Liquor Store will open at Cable Beach within “the next couple of weeks”.

The outlet, which he estimated will create six jobs, will take group-wide employment at Milo B. Butler & Sons to more than 80, and give consumers “a totally different experience from what they see of our brand today”.

“The shelves are in, we’re testing the freezers. It might be as early as next week,” Mr Butler said of the new Flying Dutchman store’s opening.

He disclosed that it was next to popular restaurant Olive’s in the ‘Shops at Cable Beach’ plaza, with the store also representing Milo B. Butler & Sons’ desire to capitalise on appropriate expansion opportunities.

“We’ve done a lot of work and started to put things together,” Mr Butler told Tribune Business. “When people see that [store], it’s a reflection of what we aspire to be, not where we are today.

“It’s a more modern store, more customer focused, a totally different experience from what people see of our brand today. It’s something fresh, and will encourage the customer to spend and be part of the experience.

“It’s a fairly small location, but a significant investment. It’s 1,000 to 1,200 square feet, but to upgrade and get it to where we want to be required a significant investment in capital.”

Mr Butler said the group’s re-branding exercise could take up to three years to complete, and would likely involve “a new look and feel at all our locations”.

Apart from the two Flying Dutchman outlets, the Milo B. Butler & Sons group comprises one of the Bahamas’ largest wholesale grocery distributors, plus Butler’s Home Essentials and Butler’s Bargain Mart.

The group, which traces its roots back to a small grocery store established in 1928, and took on its present structure 50 years ago, remains a family-owned and operated business now in its third generation.

Apart from its operating businesses, Milo B. Butler & Sons also owns two shopping plazas - the Lucayan Shopping Centre in Freeport, and the Carmichael mall which houses the Scotiabank branch.

It has equity stakes in several BISX-listed public companies, chiefly AML Foods, Cable Bahamas and Commonwealth Bank.

Mr Butler yesterday told Tribune Business that the re-branding would involve “new logos and marks”, plus new vehicles, but operational details will not be ignored.

Improved customer service, he explained, will be a priority for the group moving forward, with the goal of ensuring it matches the rebranding and facility upgrades.

“This is a place where we want customers to be comfortable doing business with us,” Mr Butler told Tribune Business.

“That’s where we’re putting our focus as we rebrand - how do we build distribution, develop brand managers and the relationship with consumers.

“It should be an interesting opportunity for customers. Hopefully, they will be impressed with what we’re trying to do.”

Mr Butler, though, explained that Milo B. Butler & Sons’ planned rebranding was more than just a pure business exercise.

It was also a community venture that aimed to preserve the legacy, and vision, established by the group’s founder, Sir Milo Butler, a key figure in achieving majority rule, which ultimately led to him becoming the first Governor-General in a post-independence Bahamas.

“We have a great legacy, a great history, but how do we reflect this?” Mr Butler told Tribune Business. “Then, of course, continue to expand where the right opportunities present themselves.

“The brand is going to be bigger than just business. It’s an investment in the community, making sure we preserve his legacy. We feel it’s so significant that we want to die having preserved that legacy.”

Milo B. Butler & Sons distributes 35 different brands, and numerous sub-brands under those, including Twinings Tea, corn beef, tuna, rice, Juice Bowl juice and various air freshener and animal food products.