The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Super Value president Rupert Roberts has urged the Government to take "drastic action" against copper thieves, warning that they were delaying employment for 75 Bahamians after hitting the former City Markets South Beach store three times.

Disclosing that he was still seeking to open that store pre-Christmas under his Quality Supermarkets brand, Mr Roberts said the theft of copper tubing and wiring from air conditioning (AC) and refrigeration systems made it impossible for staff to work due to 90-degree temperatures.

Confirming that it would require a total $3 million investment to re-open both the South Beach and former City Markets outlet at the Seagrapes Shopping Centre, Mr Roberts said the latter would now not likely return to service until 2013.

"We're still fighting at South Beach," Mr Roberts told Tribune Business. "We've had the same problems that Leslie Miller has had [at the former Robin Hood store] with copper thieves. They have hit us three times at South Beach.

"We have made an urgent appeal to the police and the Government to take immediate, drastic action to see if we can take the country back from the copper thieves..... Every time, like Leslie Miller pointed out, they sell it for peanuts $100,000 worth of equipment they destroy to get $25 of copper. That's the price they sell it for, and some of the machinery has three months' lead time to install and maintain. That is a hell of a serious problem," the Super Value owner added.

"I could replace the copper at $20,000 a pop, but it's the work in labour and lead time to get it back in and replaced. I pointed out to government members, and Leslie Miller pointed out the same thing; we can't get on with employing people until we get open. It's very, very serious."

The re-opening of the South Beach and Seagrapes stores promises to create a collective 150-160 jobs. Recalling how former prime minister, Sir Lynden Pindling, said he had great admiration for anyone who employed another person at the opening of Super Value's Prince Charles Drive store, Mr Roberts said: "The copper thieves are holding up the employment of another 75, and that's why something has to be done.

"We recommended to the Government that they demonetise copper. Stop the export of copper for ever. The former government did it for a few months and slowed it down, but now they've started exporting again and have started stealing with a vengeance."

Asked how far his plans for South Beach had been set back by the copper thefts, Mr Roberts said staff had been forced to install equipment and re-stock in 90 degree temperatures instead of the normal 70 degrees.

"You hate to put your staff through that," he added. "The first thing to do is make them comfortable, and you can't work in 90 degrees."

Despite the problems, Mr Roberts said he was still going for a Christmas or November opening at South Beach. Describing stocking a store with product as the easy part, he added: "It`s the equipment, the refrigeration that takes the time.

"That's what we're working on. It's installing the equipment, and getting the electricity, the thousands of miles of wire that goes into installing the refrigeration cases. That's the time-consuming and painstaking labour that goes into opening a store."

Mr Roberts took over the leasehold interests for the South Beach and Seagrapes stores as part of a $3.5 million deal with the former City Markets supermarket chain and its majority shareholder, the Finlayson family's Trans-Island Traders vehicle.

He told Tribune Business that both stores each required a $300,000 investment in new equipment, plus $1 million in inventory, before they could be re-opened as the second and third stores in his Quality Supermarkets chain.

"$3 million should see us re-opening the doors," he said, adding that the former City Markets store at the Seagrapes Shopping Centre would be next.

"We installed the equipment three-four weeks ago at South Beach, and the equipment is in for Seagrapes," Mr Roberts told Tribune Business. "Once we're open at South Beach, we'll shift attention to Seagrapes.

"I don't see how we can manage to open that this year. I wish we could have had it open this week. At Winton the parking lot was overrun. We have a couple of acres of park, and customers used it for parking after they overran the parking area prior to Hurricane Sandy."

Mr Roberts said the Seagrapes Shopping Centre landlord also "wants to do some remodelling of the shopping centre".