Dennise Williams, Staff Reporter
MYRIE
MAINLAND INTERNATIONAL is starting the year on an expansionary path.
First, the company will open its newest location on Hagley Park Road, Kingston 10, during February.
Mainland's managing director Jeffrey Myrie said, "Our market survey revealed the opportunity to make a reasonable return in this location. And we had been searching for a spot in Kingston for some time."
Mainland already has a branch in Stony Hill, along with branches in Spanish Town, Mandeville and Montego Bay. The company currently employs approximately 400 persons and expects to hire 60 to 65 additional workers to staff the Hagley Park Road location.
ACCQUIRING THE BUILDING
With a location on a main artery in Kingston, the Hagley Park Road building was the former home of a GraceKennedy (GK) Basix supermarket.
"When we heard that GK was giving up the lease, I contacted the owner of the building and worked out the terms," Mr. Myrie said. On Hagley Park Road, with its preponderance of auto supply stores, Mainland hopes that the same demographics that did not provide sufficient support for a supermarket will encourage the purchase of hardware supplies.
"With 50,000 different items for sale, we target a wide cross-section of Jamaicans," Mr. Myrie explained.
And in further expansion plans, Mr. Myrie said, "We are still considering opening a cement factory in Jamaica."
In 2004, Mainland invited firms to submit proposals for the construction of a cement plant that would operate in direct competition with Carib Cement Company. This was in response to a 40 per cent duty imposed by the Government, based on claims of unfair market competition submitted by the only indigenous cement manufacturer, Carib Cement Company .
Mr. Myrie said he is taking a cautious approach in revealing additional details about Mainland's plans to manufacture cement.
