The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

and DENISE MAYCOCK

A prominent Grand Bahama businessman said yesterday that he was mulling whether to reopen his food retail business in another facility or repair his former outlet which had suffered $100,000 of damage due to vandalism.

Jeff Butler, owner of Butler’s Food World in the Circle Mall, West Atlantic Drive, Freeport, explained that the store’s closure two weeks ago which left some 30 employees out of work, was as the result of needed repairs to the store’s generator which had supplied electricity to the retail outlet the past two years.

“The plan was that we would close for August and September and rebuild the generator as we are one of several companies that are not on the grid with Grand Bahama Power,” Mr Butler told Tribune Business. “That is going on now that now but I don’t think I’m going to reopen at that same 20,000 sqft location because of this of this ongoing litigation.”

Mr Butler opened Butler’s Food World in December 2010, operating a 20,000 sqft supermarket featuring speciality foods from over 20 countries. It also consisted of a delicatessen, a café specialising in gourmet coffee drinks and pastries, a flower shop, liquor store and a cigar specialty counter. He closed Butler’s Specialty Foods, the smaller food retail business on Yellow Pine Street two years ago, using it as a holding area and warehouse for the larger supermarket.

The new supermarket, which was fully stocked, averaged $50,000 per day in sales, about $15.6 million a year, he said. However, it experienced serious financial challenges in 2012, falling into receivership, although Mr Butler was able to regain control of the business after five months on the grounds of a legal technicality. Mr Butler alleged that the store’s former court-appointed receivers, HLB Galanis principal Philip Galanis and Chris Baker, had “no idea what they were doing” and effectively ran the business into the ground during the five months they had control. Mr Butler said that he is still waiting to go to arbitration to recoup $1.4 million in losses sustained. Mr Galanis, in a previous interview with Tribune Business, claimed however that it was Mr Butler - not the receivers - who had “run it into the ground”.

Mr Butler said yesterday that there was a strong demand for his business and he was considering the way forward. “We closed the store to rebuild the generator that has supplied electric to Butler’s these past two years, by the way, at half the cost of the Grand Power Co.,” he said. “I then decided that Freeport doesn’t need another run-of-the-mill grocery store and decided to move back to our location on Yellow Pine and do what we have done well for the past 35 years, speciality foods, gourmet foods, top quality meats and produce, all of which is not available on Grand Bahama. The store on Yellow Pine has been vandalised and all the wiring ripped out of the building. Eight compressors stolen and holes cut in the roof by thieves in the night.

“Several hundred loyal customers have begged me to reopen and continue to do what we do best, import the best of the best for all cultures. I’m not going anywhere. I will either open in another facility or try to repair my facility. There’s probably $100,000 or more in damages down there.”

Mr Butler said that the government’s increase of the minimum wage from $3.75 hour to $5.25 hour was not an issue in the closure. He told The Tribune that, for the past 10 years, they started their basic workers and cleaners at more than $5.25 an hour.

“If we have any issue with the PLP government here on Grand Bahama its their complete lack of understanding of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and the fact that they do nothing to rein in the abuses by the GB Port Authority and their friends at the GB Power Company,” Mr Butler said. “Then they say to the public about how good things are on Grand Bahama Island, and soon all will be great.”

Mr Butler agrees that without the industrial group Grand Bahama would be another out island fishing village. As far as his former employees are concerned, the businessman said some of Butler’s staff will find jobs in other facilities such as Solomon’s, Kross Town and Sawyers Foodstores.