By Ashford W. Meikle, Staff Reporter 
Gassan Azan, CEO of MegaMart and Bashco Trading Company. - File
"IT REALLY depends on the time of the year," explains the chief executive officer of MegaMart and Bashco Trading Company, Gassan Azan, as he shared with Sunday Business how he spends his weekends. Understandably, owing to the nature of his business, Mr. Azan's weekends are atypical.
"Sometimes I have to work for the entire weekend depending on the time of the year spending time at the store, meeting people and making sure everything is okay," he explained.
Mr. Azan is well-known for his interest in and support of the urban renewal and redevelopment of downtown Kingston. His stores employ scores of Jamaicans. In fact, MegaMart has the distinction of being awarded the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's 'Job Creation Awards' twice. This achievement came as a result of the store's expansion when it opened its second store on Upper Waterloo Road, St. Andrew.
QUIET TIME
But, work aside, Mr. Azan enjoys bird-shooting, going to the beach and spending quiet time with his family. He is married with three young daughters. "Most of the time I enjoy going to the beach," said Mr. Azan. "Sometimes I take the girls with me and other times I go out with friends."
And when he is with his colleagues and friends at the beach, depending on the weather, they are often fishing. During the bird season, this avid bird shooter will engage in this favourite pastime. "I like a lot of outdoor activities, mostly beach oriented," emphasised Mr. Azan.
Mr. Azan also enjoys cooking. "I rate myself as a cook," he boasted. "But I do not necessarily go into the kitchen on weekends."
Spending time with his family is critical to Mr. Azan. In his typical straight-forward manner, he reflected, "We hardly see each other during the week. They are up early and off to school and when I come home they are usually asleep." For this reason, he tries to spend as much time as possible with his family in quiet moments at home. "The business entails a lot of travelling, but I usually try to get back for the weekend and enjoy the company of my family," Mr. Azan said.
