Upgrade and support promised to vendors

Fairchild Street vendors who are scheduled to be relocated a stone’s throw away from their current location are being given the assurance that Government will not leave them out to dry as they transition.

In fact, Joy-Ann Haigh, Chief Executive Officer of Haigh Communications, public relations consultant for the project, told Today’s BUSINESS that the vendors would be getting support in several areas in coming days.

She explained that in addition to a refresher in good customer service practices, a financial institution has been identified to provide some financial and money management advice.

In addition, Government, through its Government Information Service (GIS), will ensure that the public is informed about the new location of the vendors.

“The Government of Barbados will assist them with advertising through the GIS of the new market so that people are able to still find their favourite food and beverage vendors,” said Haigh.

“That also includes the advertising of where to find your favourite fruit and vegetable vendors temporarily, because we don’t want them to lose sales because people can’t find them. So we are going to help with regarding the move,” she said.

In coming days, some 40 food and beverage vendors are expected to move into the newly-built Market Village, which is located adjacent to the eastern side of the Fairchild Street bus terminal.

This forms phase one of the $3.8 million upgrade project for the area. At the same time, the fruit and vegetable and variety vendors will be temporarily located under nearby tents on an open lot.

Following the construction of more kiosks in the Market Village, those vendors will be relocated there.

Haigh said the financial management workshop was to help the vendors better understand the importance of good money management and paying necessary taxes, which could prove beneficial i n the future.

“We have included a financial institution to talk to them about setting up proper accounting practices and encouraging National Insurance Scheme (NIS) payments for small business owners.

They need to understand that doing this can increase their chances of receiving small loans to help restock their new business for example,” said Haigh.

She said: “What I am trying to do before we get them to move in, over the next few days as well, is to hold a two-day seminar which will include the Sanitation Service Authority, because we want to make sure they are aware of how we are going to dispose of garbage.

We don’t want to put the market in a state that we have seen before”.

Haigh, who will be facilitating the sessions, said she would also ensure that the vendors engage in “a little consultation” with Ministry of Health officials in coming days in the area of “food preparation in a COVID environment, and how we are going to treat to our customers in a safe manner”.

“So even though we are going to be handing over the keys we are making sure we put these things in place before they actually start to open up for business.

So all of that will be done for the first set and it will be repeated for the second set when phase two is near completion,” said Haigh.(MM)