BARVEN leader optimistic of highway vending areas in 2024

More than a year since the government first introduced plans for strategic vending zones along the ABC Highway, the promise remains a dream deferred for the head of the nation’s vendors group.

But Alistair Alexander, the president of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors, and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN), has expressed cautious optimism about the realisation of these vending zones in 2024, attributing the delay to the country’s financial constraints.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Alexander said that in ongoing discussions with government officials, he recently visited the site of a prototype vending zone off Highway 2A at Redman’s Village, St Thomas.

“I went to Redman’s Village a couple of weeks ago at the invitation of the government and they have shown me, they have shown BARVEN what they will be rolling out out there. [They are planning on] rolling out as a prototype Redman Village as soon as possible,” he said.

While acknowledging that the vending spaces are not operational, Alexander said: “I am sure that it is because of the financial state of the country.

“The government [has assured us that] they will be keeping in contact, in touch with BARVEN. They are committed to rolling out the vending zones, so we are hoping that this comes to being in 2024.”

The anticipation comes amid concerns about unsightly piles of discarded coconut shells left by roadside vendors along the ABC Highway, particularly near the Henry Forde Roundabout at Newton, Christ Church.

Alexander asserted that the proposed vending zones would address challenges related to such vendors.

“The vending zones are to be the solution to that. At Newton Roundabout, they have begun a temporary relocation of [those] vendors in the same area but off the highway,” he said.

Reflecting on the past year, Alexander highlighted the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vending and the retail trade, describing it as a time of ongoing recovery.

He acknowledged the role of vending as an economic and social support system during challenging times.

“Vending has been what BARVEN said it would be – an economic, moreso, a social saviour to the country,” said Alexander. “A lot of people lost their jobs during that time, and many of them went into vending and BARVEN backed it because we are a responsible association and we are about the well-being of the nation.

“But it [the expansion of vending] has impacted markets and existing vendors…. But we receive that impact and we are going to work with it and we are going to work with it the best way that we can.”

Looking ahead to 2024, Alexander envisioned significant developments, including the expansion of the BARVEN Outdoor Market along the Mighty Grynner Highway.

Plans also involve establishing managerial representation within public markets to address operational challenges.

“When I say representation, I am talking at a management-type level. We are speaking now about not just having a market, but a market operating under a business plan. Several things are not right with those markets that are impacting vendors.

“BARVEN is looking to see that happen and having that dealt with in 2024,” Alexander concluded, referring to the need for effective management to address issues like parking problems at markets such as Fairchild Street.
(RG)