Chamber head, Mayor to Sando businesses: Take risks to ensure survival

SUNDAY shopping in San Fernando and an enhanced night life are among suggestions being considered to combat claims of declining commerce in the southern city.

In the face of complaints about waning trade, president of the Greater San Fernando Chamber Kiran Singh is calling on owners and operators not to focus on the doom and gloom.

“We have something special in San Fernando, we just need to inculcate that entrepreneurial spirit amongst ourselves so that San Fernando can once again become the envy of the business community, nationwide," he said in an interview.

“While it is easy to paint a broad brush across the entire San Fernando landscape and say businesses and people are leaving, let us focus instead on how to bring back people and business to San Fernando.

“It is always easy to identify problems, but the question we must ask ourselves, is, what are the solutions to these problems? How do I identify getting around the challenges we face?”

Singh drew examples of some bright sparks on High Street within the past several months. He referenced Rattan’s and Pennywise which had opened up large retail shops on Lower High Street,

These two businesses, especially Rattan’s which has painted the former Citibank building in a bold colour, have created over 100 jobs and restored life to the area.

JD’s Supercenter, Singh added, had also transitioned to Pointe-a-Pierre Road, near Library Corner, bringing heavy foot traffic back to that part of the city.

Singh said the SME’s could learn from these businesses.

“Businesses have to take risks. If you are risk-averse, you should not be in business."

San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello agreed that risk and business went hand-in-hand.

He said, while some business owners had money, they lacked vision.

“They have money, but are not ready, not prepared. You have to take risks. You must have vision.”

Regrello called on entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunities the waterfront development would bring in the next two years.

“San Fernando is on the cusp of development. The waterfront would bring high-rise buildings and anticipated high-end customers in the next year or two, similar to One Woodbrook Place.

“San Fernando is moving, don’t be left behind," he advised High Street business owners, pointing out, "High Street has become somewhat shabby.”

The dark, dingy shops which exists on High Street, Regrello said, will drive potential customers from the new development to spend their dollar at the malls, which are constantly upgrading to attract customers.

Encouraging them to take example from the malls, Regrello observed that some buildings had not seen a coat of pain in years. He spoke of the lack of support from such business owners in putting up lights or doing a facelift to their own showcases. He said upgrades were not even done for Christmas, Carnival, Independence Day, Easter, although the businesses were making money.

He said many of them owned real estate abroad and paid property taxes there.

He advised the businesspeople to stop complaining and ready themselves to invest in TT rather than in Miami or Florida.

To complaints about wrecking of shoppers vehicles and illegal vending, identified as drawbacks to a thriving business, Regrello said he was working with the police to address those issues.

In terms of the difficulty to open bank accounts and general banking outlined by chamber accountant Deodath Ramdass, Regrello suggested, “Business people also have to be straightforward with how they do business.”

He said the high incidence of money laundering and white-collar crime, had resulted in the banks implementing stringent measures to foil such enterprises.