The new Quality Supermarket on Cable Beach is officially a "winner" and should only gain in popularity with the opening of Baha Mar in late 2014, according to the president of Super Value.
Rupert Roberts revealed that the former City Market, abandoned for months following its previous tenant's demise, is producing sales equivalent to a Super Value location that has been in operation for 20 years. The revamped supermarket, still bearing the name of City Market on the exterior, has fundamentally changed inside.
Residents in the high density neighborhood have responded to the resurrected location and shown up in droves. Roberts felt the reception is only the beginning for this up-and-coming area of western New Providence.
"Baha Mar is coming," he said.
"That end of the island is going to explode. Business is going to flock there, and it'll be a high volume area."
As for the failure of City Market, the top executive said when the economy was good, and the location run by Winn Dixie, the store did very well. City Market coming in and out of the area "really had nothing to do" with the true potential of the spot.
"When Finlayson took it over, it failed. He should have never touched it. When a business hits a slippery slope, it takes real experience in the industry to bring it back," according to Roberts.
With a Super Value just down the road, also in Cable Beach, the president told Guardian Business there is "more than enough room for both stores".
Roberts has decided to keep the City Market sign up on the outside for the forseeable future, as it "denotes location" and sticks in the minds of consumers. While the franchise might not have done well, he insisted that messing with names can sometimes do more harm than good.
"And it will get stronger every day," he added. "I'm not sure the total population knows it's open yet. It takes a long time for information to seep through. Lots of people were away for the summer."
As for the South Beach and Seagrapes locations, also acquired by Roberts during City Market's demise, the president reported that equipment is now on order for these locations, although it is expected to be many months before opening. The company will invest millions in the process.
He said work has already begun, however, on the South Beach location. The company is enlarging the warehouse section, the store room and taking some more space from the landlord to make it more convenient to do business.
In so doing, the company hopes to create more space for high-volume periods, such as Easter, Christmas and when the country is on the cusp of a hurricane.
Commenting that Hurricane Irene, for example, caused unexpected strain on the existing stores, Roberts expressed satisfaction that the expansion to South Beach and general acquisition of the three stores should widen his capacity.
"I always felt guilty not being able to serve the public better during those outstanding periods," he said.
The three new outlets are opening under the Quality Supermarkets banner, the Super Value chief said. The company is expected to gain a 40 percent share of the market once the acquisitions are complete.

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