The hotly anticipated Solomon's Fresh Market in the Harbour Bay Shopping Centre has the potential to become one of the parent company's biggest producing outlets in short order, according to a top executive.
Gavin Watchorn, the CEO of AML Foods, said the new supermarket is starting to get "quite a bit of attention" of late. The hype out east, he added, has easily grown beyond the attention generated by the first Solomon's Fresh Market prior to its opening in the Old Fort Bay Town Centre.
What it adds up to, AML hopes, is a considerable jolt to the bottom line once the second supermarket opens before Christmas.
"Right now, the Solomon's SuperCenter in Nassau is our flagship store and merits the greatest volume. I think Harbour Bay could come a close second," Watchorn told Guardian Business.
The CEO reported that construction work has begun at the old City Market site. Approximately 40 Bahamans are now employed through the contractor, he noted, and once the floor and ceiling are complete, the supermarket can begin "rolling in" the equipment.
This second Solomon's Fresh Market is designed to be identical to the location out west. The new brand has proven to be a hit among Bahamians, offering considerable quality and diversity of products.
Although AML Foods knows it has stumbled upon a winning formula, Watchorn said the company plans to slow down somewhat after the Christmas opening. The BISX-listed firm recently opened a new Solomon's in Grand Bahama back in June, and it is now gearing up for the release of its first Carl's Jr. franchise.
"We would consider another Solomon's Fresh Market later on, but I think once we are successful with Harbour Bay, we really have a spread between east and west. We don't want to over-extend ourselves," he told Guardian Business.
Executives at AML are braced for a significant spike in sales following these openings. At the recent annual general meeting, the company projected $160 million in sales within the next five years.
Launching the second Solomon's Fresh Market out east just before Christmas might be a coincidence, according to Watchorn, although it should also kick off the company's drive to reach $160 million in sales.
"It's a great time of year to open. We'll work pretty hard to make sure it happens before Christmas," he said.
The company plans to invest up to $5.5 million into the Harbour Bay Centre outlet. AML will hire 85 Bahamians, putting a dent in the legions of workers let go after the demise of City Market locations.

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