By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Supervalue’s owner is “100 per cent” sure the new government’s election will boost business and consumer confidence, but warned: “We have to work our way out of the graveyard.”

Rupert Roberts told Tribune Business that while he viewed the Dr Hubert Minnis-led administration’s election as “totally positive”, it faced much work to revive a still-struggling economy.

While acknowledging that Baha Mar’s opening and anticipated ramp-up to employ 5,000-plus Bahamians will help, he added that SuperValue’s own performance showed the economy was “dragging”.

While sales for the supermarket chain and its Quality Supermarkets affiliate were keeping pace with last year, Mr Roberts said both were having to be “aggressive” and ensure they “didn’t miss a trick” in the absence of help from the wider economy.

The Supervalue owner said that while voters had “chased out” the former Christie administration, there were still civil service officials who needed to “take their boots off the necks” of Bahamian businesses and consumers if the economy was to revive.

“We’re a good barometer of the economy,” Mr Roberts told Tribune Business of Supervalue, “and the economy is really dragging.

“Unless we have a pick up, we’re going to have a long, hot summer.... If you’re sure you’ll make $1 in the future, you’ll spend the $1 you have. That seems to be the new outlook on life.

“Our economy at the moment is depressed, and we’ll have to build on top of a depressed economy and get that going.”

Asked whether the general election was likely to boost Bahamian business and consumer confidence, Mr Roberts replied: “I want to answer that with figures instead of words.

“Answering that in figures, I’d say 100 per cent. I don’t know how to put that in words. I think everybody’s thinking it’s a totally positive move.

“It’s a new day, new Minister of Tourism, increasing and expanding the tourism industry. We have new ministers. There were a lot of things pending, and we hope they’re approved and get started.”

While Baha Mar’s phased opening should boost job creation and economic activity, Mr Roberts estimated the unofficial unemployment rate was closer to 20 per cent, as opposed to the official 11.6 per cent statistic.

“We’re keeping up with last year only because we’re so aggressive,” he told Tribune Business of Supervalue’s financial performance. “We have to keep our hands on the switch and handle, and not miss a trick. We’re struggling to keep up with last year.

“We have to work our way out of the graveyard. We have to rebuild the country, rebuild the economy, rebuild everything that’s been deteriorating for a while now.”

Suggesting that many Bahamian investors and businesses had held off, and adopted a ‘wait and see’ attitude until the general election was over, Mr Roberts added: “I don’t think we’ve had that much in tourism in the past five years, and not too much new investment.

“I think from the beginning of the year, investors and everybody have been waiting on the election. Now that’s over, we may know where we’re going. It gives everybody hope. It will create a lot of consumer confidence.”

Mr Roberts urged the newly-elected government to ensure it took the civil service bureaucracy with it, especially when it came to improving the ‘ease of doing business’ and reducing the taxation/compliance burden on Bahamian businesses.

“Let me say publicly, and please quote me,” he told Tribune Business. “The politicians have been chased out, but the civil servants still have to become more subdued and take their boots off the necks of the taxpayers.

“We had the courage to vote for change, and I think we’re going to get it.”