By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

With a $1m remodel completed, Solomon’s Lucaya held a re-grand opening yesterday, and plans are proceeding to reopen by next March a second Solomon’s location in Downtown, Freeport, that will bring AML Foods’ total investment to over $5M in Grand Bahama.

Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson attended the ribbon cutting and indicated that AML’s investment is “a sign of confidence in the GB economy”.

He said: “This investment is about $1m. I also want to say…that is the key because every step we take is a step towards full recovery. This is not a small step, but it is a significant step and showing the people of GB that a company of this size has complete confidence in GB’s economy. And not just they have confidence to renovate his location, but they have announced their $3.5m project to bring back the downtown location.”

Mr Thompson stated that this is good news for the vendors downtown and added that government is working on a project in the downtown area that will be announced soon.

“We are so pleased they have decided to reopen that location because it will do wonders for the downtown area, he said. We anticipate it will be the catalyst for other businesses, restaurants, cafes, and other retail businesses that will feed off the traffic. We also wish to say government is working on a project that we will announce shortly that will also enhance the entire downtown area as well. So, we are pleased with the progress and pleased with the promise of a renovated and rejuvenated downtown GB.”

Minister Thompson also commended AML Foods for the milestone they achieved in GB and being “a superb corporate citizen”, especially for its post-Dorian assistance, and its participation in the government’s Food Programme, partnering to supply food vouchers to thousands in GB.

Gavin Watchorn, CEO & President at AML Foods Limited, said AML has been part of the GB community since 1999, first with its purchase of Thompson’s Wholesale, which grew into Cost Right, then by adding Solomon’s Queens Highway, Solomon’s Lucaya, and the Domino’s Pizza Store.

He stressed that they are not just another Nassau company in GB but have been a part of the GB community for the past 22 years. “We look forward to serving for many more; we are committed to the long-term success of the island and doing our part to achieve that success,” Watchorn said.

“We had our ups and downs here, and we shared the pains of hurricanes and economic challenges with our fellow GB’s. We experienced flooding, lost a roof or two and had a couple of fires, but every time our tremendous GB management team got on with the task of serving the people of GB.

According to Watchorn, the remodel of Solomon’s Lucaya was delayed for two years due to Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19.

“This has been two years in the making. It was originally planned for September 2019, and Hurricane Dorian first caused us to pause the remodel. And, then we rescheduled it for mid-2020, and COVID-19 caused us to pause. Finally, we were excited again this Spring, and construction delays caused our delay,” he said.

The Solomon’ Lucaya location has undergone a complete makeover, with new flooring, LED lights, new paint, décor. The new cash registers and signage are expected to arrive next week, and they have expanded the product availability.

“I am confident of the changes we made, he said. I am most excited to say we increased the products available by over 30 percent in our store. Our investment is $1M and we used GB contractors where possible for all the work. This comes on top of a recent $750,000 investment in our Cost Right store for a new air-condition system and relocation of our freeport store,” Watchorn explained.

“We are very excited about the relocation of our Queens Highway store to downtown in March 2022. Our QH location suffered tremendous loss during Dorian, and while some persons may have questioned whether we would ever reopen the store, our commitment to GB is never in doubt. We will be investing a further $3.5M to reopen the store and look forward to providing the residents of downtown and West GB the great experience they used to receive from our QH location. This store will be the first of our smaller footprint format and GBs will be the first to see this new concept,” he stated.

The CEO agrees with Minister Thompson that downtown location will act as a catalyst for further redevelopment of downtown Freeport. “We are looking forward to working with the government and the GB Port Authority to get other investors working in the downtown area to bring it back to the glory days. AML’s total investment of over $5M into GB is a sign of our confidence and long-term success of this island and its people,” he stated.

They are expected to hire 40 plus employees for the new downtown location, according to Watchorn, who stated that AML currently employs 200 in GB. He indicated that priority will be given to all Grand Bahamians.

In terms of its assistance, he stated that AML has participated in the food program assistance, support local groups, organizations, and NGOs, providing $100,000 annually in cash and in kind in GB.

He announced that they are partnering with the GB Children’s Home by providing a donation of $30,000 over three years to support the needs of the home.