After four months of having to travel out of their community for grocery shopping, Oistins residents have returned this morning to the reopened Massy supermarket at the 40-year-old Southern Plaza shopping complex.
After being closed for upgrades since May, Minister of Commerce Dwight Sutherland and area MP Ralph Thorne were on hand for the official re-opening of the store which employs 65 people.
Barbados TODAY witnessed large numbers of shoppers in the supermarket, many of them freely expressing their happiness that the store had re-opened as well as their satisfaction with the new look and shopping experience.
Minister of Commerce Dwight Sutherland (third from right) and MP Ralph Thorne (second from right) with CEO Randall Banfield (right) during their visit to the recently reopened Massy supermarket in Oistins.
Massy Stores CEO Randall Banfield said: “It would have been an inconvenience for customers who would have shopped here, and we understand that.
“We would have provided some shuttle services to get them into some other stores because we have our network of stores nearby.
“It is really nice to have the store opened again and we have heard from customers yesterday and today how pleased they are to have the store in Oistins re-opened and in the fashion that we have done it.”
Banfield revealed that the store, which is now smaller in size, has been retrofitted with the latest energy saving devices, a move which was praised by Sutherland. The Minister praised the conglomerate for ensuring that the new supermarket was in keeping with Government’s vision for green energy.
Sutherland declared: “We have recognised in an era such as this, the use of technology is critical.
“I want to shower praise on Massy Stores for investing in state-of-the-art equipment as it relates to refrigeration. We are seeking to become fossil fuel free by 2030.
“So, I want to congratulate Massy for leading the charge. They have not only re-opened the store, but they have done so with the Government’s mission in mind.”
He also praised the supermarket for sticking to local producers, and urged others to do likewise.
The Minister added: This is just an example of what we as a Government would love to see.
“Re-opening the store paved the way for small businesses to ply their trade and to have an outlet for their products.
“I want to thank Mr Banfield because he has stuck to local producers and helping us build out industries such as the pork industry because these are critical to our development.”
