The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

LUMBER distributors and building supply stores saw very little business as a result of Hurricane Sandy, with one executive telling Tribune Business last Thursday he was surprised by the slower-than-usual storm sales.

Anthony Roberts, purchasing manager at City Lumber, told Tribune Business: “We did not experience any major hurricane-related sales. There were some sales on Wednesday and Thursday morning, some sales on plywood and fasteners.

“Quite honestly we have not seen any major volume of hurricane-related sales. Some people have battened up and others haven’t. I personally was surprised; I thought we would have seen a bit of rushed activity towards plywood sales but that has not materialised. There has been some, but not what we normally experience.”

Raymond Collins, manager at Tops Lumber, expressed similar sentiments, telling Tribune Business: “It’s been absolutely dead. No one seems to be preparing for anything. It’s surprising. I thought we would have had some sort of sales, but there has been nothing whatsoever. We hardly sold any plywood. I don’t know what’s going on; whether the Bahamians are prepared or they aren’t really too concerned.”

A Pick’s Lumber, Hardware and Building Supply Store employee told Tribune Business: “Business hasn’t been any different. It’s been pretty slow, no one is buying lumber. I guess they haven’t taken the storm too seriously.”

JBR Building Supply Store manager, Charles Albury, told Tribune Business that it had not been as busy asduring previous storms. “There has been a lot of sand bags, raincoats and flashlights selling, but generally it has not been anywhere as busy as some of the other storms. I guess people haven’t taken it too seriously. We have sold a lot of sand bags, for the flooding, I guess,” he said.