One of the island’s largest manufacturers of decorative and industrial-grade paint products is expecting favourable sales this Christmas as sales bounce back from the slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Berger Paints Caribbean Limited’s Regional Sales Manager, Andrea Duguid said that despite a difficult period, the economic prospects going into 2023 were bright for the company, given the number of capital work projects and private sector ventures on the horizon.
“Barbados had a number of challenges last year – we had the ash [from the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent], we had the hurricane [Elsa], we had the freak storm, we had all kinds of challenges faced as a paint company and as an island on a whole. We were very glad the year opened up with everybody having a new sense of a beginning, of an attempt to recover, and we are no exception.
“We have seen an uplift. There are a number of projects going, both private and Government, that . . . helped to boost the sales again, and we were very pleased to see the year reflecting the increasing economic activity, [including] in paint [sales],” Duguid told Barbados TODAY.
She was speaking during the grand opening of Berger Paints’ The Colour Shop outlet in Sun Plaza, Worthing.
Duguid added that the company expected to see high sales during the historically lucrative holiday season.
At the same time, she does not anticipate pre-pandemic profits for some time, given customers’ financial constraints.
“Christmas is still the peak, Easter would be the second peak, Crop Over generally would be the third one. But what we have noticed is that as things change and, I guess, as people’s budgets have changed, there is no longer that ‘I’m going to paint the whole house now, in and out, anymore’. This year they may paint the inside, next year they may paint the outside, or they may do one bedroom this month, and another one next month,” Duguid explained.
However, she added: “What they have not compromised on and that is a wonderful thing, [is] . . . quality, so we have not seen any drift at all from customers to cheaper lower-performing products, they have all shifted to actually our higher products.”
(SB)
