'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant
'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Some 75 persons will be employed at peak construction on Baha Mar's $100 million Seawater District Cooling (SDC) plant, Tribune Business was told yesterday, with bu
JUST 17% OF POOR GETTING BENEFITS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Less than 17 per cent of poor Bahamian households are receiving social security benefits, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report highlighting a dysfunctional welfare system that is failing to reach those
THE BIGGER PICTURE ON LOCAL BUYING
By Ian Ferguson The expression 'Buy Bahamian' was uttered many years ago in a desperate plea to encourage locals to support, and buy goods and services, produced in the Bahamas. I believe it was Cleveland Eneas who once jokingly declared that Bahamians w
Stopping big business ideas from shrinking
Stopping big business ideas from shrinking By Deidre M. Bastian The growth of any business is dependent on the ability to reach new clients while maintaining healthy relationships with existing ones. But it takes skill and creativity to raise your bar a
Airline's 18% fee cost rise in three years
Airline's 18% fee cost rise in three years By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A leading Bahamian-owned airline yesterday said its fee costs had increased by a cumulative 18 per cent over the past three years, saying the charges levied by various a
BTC TAKES 4G TO GRAND BAHAMA
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has introduced its fourth generation (4G) network on Grand Bahama via a soft launch. Coming almost a month ahead of schedule, it follows the official launch of the same technology in New Providence one week ea
Can Bahamas brook new Atlantis owner
Can Bahamas brook new Atlantis owner It will return. Make no mistake about it. With $2.5 billion worth of debt past due and in default, Kerzner International's seven lenders will not let the situation lie. It is a question of when, rather than if, the ow
BTC's 18% directory mark-up 'reasonable'
BTC's 18% directory mark-up 'reasonable' By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Telecommunications Company's (BTC) proposed 17.65 per cent retail mark-up for directory inquiry calls has been deemed "reasonable" by the sector regulator, alt
BELLEVUE OPENS LATEST DIVISION
Bellevue Business Depot has opened its latest division, Bellevue Contract Furnishings & Design. "The concept of the Bellevue Contract Furnishings & Design has been quietly brewing in the background of Bellevue Business Depot," said Monique Graham, manag
IMF: FISCAL REFORM DELAYS MAY 'JEOPARDISE RECOVERY'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A failure to rapidly implement tax reforms "could jeopardise a sustained recovery" in the Bahamas, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning the Government's plans were "not sufficient" to reverse a rising $4.
SUPPLIER CONCERNS ON BTC 'INCONSISTENCIES' SOLUTION
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamian businesses yesterday expressed concern that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was extending the period for paying them to 60 days, as the newly-privatised carrier moves to tackle "inconsistenci
NO 'OPEN DOORS' FOR $8BN-$10BN INDUSTRY
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A potential $8-$10 billion industry lies beneath Bahamian waters if its development is handled correctly, a local archaeological salvage expert yesterday warning against an 'Open Doors' policy that would allow for
BAHAMAS 'WELL BUFFERED' OVER CARRIER FALLOUT
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas is "well buffered" against any potential fallout from moves by American Eagle's parent to slash its workforce by up to 13,000, Tribune Business was told yesterday, the airline being among four-five car
ENDING SACRED COWS CAN BE CONSTRUCTIVE
By Simon Cooper Res Socius There's an ebb and flow to everything in life. The tides go in and out. After harvest we return the stubble to the field. When we die our mortal remains return to earth or sea. As one business dies, the competition claims its p
HOPE 8.7% FISCAL DEFICIT DECLINE A 'SUSTAINABLE TREND'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A former finance minister yesterday expressed hope that the 8.7 per cent decline in the fiscal deficit for the 2011-2012 Budget year's first quarter represented the start of a "sustainable trend", even though the
$10M PORT IPO SETS A BAHAMIAN RECORD
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Arawak Cay Port Development (APD) offering has set a Bahamian record by becoming the "most widely subscribed for IPO in the history of the Bahamian capital markets", Tribune Business was told yesterday, one of
Receivables over three times' Water Corporation target
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Just how far the Water & Sewerage Corporation has to go to achieve financial viability has been highlighted by several key financial performance indicators, which show it currently enjoys a -44 per cent operating
SIR SOL STEPS DOWN AS KERZNER CEO
Sir Sol Kerzner yesterday stepped down as Kerzner International's chief executive in favour of long-time company executive, Alan Leibman, though he remains as the company's chairman. In that capacity, Sir Sol will work closely with Mr Leibman, former chie
SPEED WEEK 'CAN BECOME LIKE MONACO'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Speed Week Revival organisers are examining whether to create a permanent race track in the Arawak Cay area, the minister of tourism telling Tribune Business that this nation could effectively match Monaco
'CATASTROPHE' WARNING OVER INDUSTRIAL UNREST
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Widespread labour-related disruption "could be catastrophic" for an already-weak Bahamian economy, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chairman yesterday warning that this was "po
FRAMING WEBSITES BY BETTER PLANNING
By Deidre M. Bastian This is a topic that pops up periodically, mainly because more web agencies are now incorporating a formal 'wire framing' process. Anyone who has ever built or designed a website will tell you that wire framing happens in some form o
CHAMBER CHIEF SUPPORTS GOV'T OUTSOURCING '110%'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chairman has given his "110 per cent support" to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) call for more services to be outsourced to the private
BREAK FINANCIAL 'STATUS QUO' VIA 23% GDP GOAL
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The financial services industry's direct GDP contribution could grow to 22-23 per cent within five-seven years if the Bahamas was bold enough to break with the "status quo" position it has maintained for the past
Port IPO 'north of $32m'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Arawak Cay Port Development (APD) initial public offering (IPO) was yesterday said to be more than three times' oversubscribed, having raised "north of $32 million" with the tallying of applications not yet co
BROKERS 'CUT OUT' OF HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE MARKET
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The outgoing Bahamas Insurance Brokers Association's (BIBA) president has again complained that ties between commercial banks and large brokers are "cutting everyone else out" of the homeowners insurance market, w
BONDED VEHICLE WOE IN FREEPORT
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Customs is insisting that Freeport residents who have bonded vehicles to operate part-time businesses cannot use them to travel to/from their main jobs, a former Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce president
Telecoms ain't nothin' but a portable number
Age ain't nothin but a number. And so, apparently, is communications. Especially when it comes to finally, oh finally, fostering some competition in the Bahamian market, if the regulator had not seemingly bottled it. For the Utilities Regulation & Competi
Commission names new top regulator
The Securities Commission has named Dave Shannon Smith as its executive director with effect from March 1, 2012. He takes over the post from Commission chairman, Philip Stubbs, who has held it since the departure of former executive director, Hillary Dev
Finlaysons eye JV partner for City Markets
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Finlayson family is seeking a joint venture partner that would acquire a majority equity stake in the City Markets supermarket chain from it, high-level sources have told Tribune Business, with talks being hel
GB SHIPYARD GETS 'BETTER AND BETTER'
Grand Bahama Shipyard's chairman, Carl-Gustaf Rotkirch, said the facility has "done better and better" every month throughout 2011, having gone 205 days without any health/safety incident this year. And, speaking with staff at the Shipyard's annual Chris
CHAMBER CHIEF TO TACKLE FREEPORT'S BOND 'HEAD ON'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce's newly-elected president yesterday called for the ongoing controversy surrounding Freeport's 'bonded goods' regime to be "resolved once and for all", as licensee complaints ov
THE BIGGER PICTURE ON LOCAL BUYING
By Ian Ferguson The expression 'Buy Bahamian' was uttered many years ago in a desperate plea to encourage locals to support, and buy goods and services, produced in the Bahamas. I believe it was Cleveland Eneas who once jokingly declared that Bahamians w
PRIVATISATION CAN 'HOLD BAHAMAS TO RANSOM'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A leading activist yesterday urged the Government not to privatise the energy and water industries on the grounds that foreign buyers could "hold the Bahamas to ransom", adding that this nation had "not begun to s
FATF TO MAKE LEGACY CLIENTS 'CHALLENGING'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor New Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plans to make tax evasion a predicate money laundering offence will make dealing with legacy clients "quite challenging" for Bahamian financial services providers, a well-kno
FAMILIES EARNING UNDER $5K YEARLY INCREASE BY 83%
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The number of Bahamian households surviving on less than $5,000 per year has increased by an "alarming" 83 per cent in the past four years, Department of Statistics data shows, indicating the recession has most im
25,000-acre dispute solution 'critical to 'thousands of jobs'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Resolving a long-running dispute that has tied up 25,000 acres of prime real estate is "critical" to potentially creating "thousands of jobs" and reversing Long Island's depopulation, a Court of Appeal ruling havi
SPEED WEEK CHIEF EYES 2,500-3,000 EXTRA ROOM NIGHTS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Speed Week's president has estimated that the revival event generated between 2,500-3,000 room nights for the Bahamian hotel industry, describing its economic impact as "quite substantial". While Bahamas S
IMF: FISCAL REFORM DELAYS MAY 'JEOPARDISE RECOVERY'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A failure to rapidly implement tax reforms "could jeopardise a sustained recovery" in the Bahamas, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning the Government's plans were "not sufficient" to reverse a rising $4.
STOPOVER VISITORS TO END 2011 DOWN 3-4%
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Stopover visitor numbers for the 2011 full year are likely to be 3-4 per cent down on 2010 comparisons, the minister of tourism and aviation conceded yesterday, although the group business rebound meant the Bahama
Port 'dismayed' by Shenanigan's
The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) has described itself as "dismayed" by criticisms from a Bahamian businessman who closed his Port Lucaya Marketplace restaurant blaming high rents, arguing that he had been "unresponsive" to attempts to resolve the si
ADDRESSING GRAND LUCAYAN 'DILEMMA'
Dear Mr Hartnell I refer to your recent article in The Tribune, concerning our resort, newly named "Grand Lucayan" - a Radisson resort. I would like to clarify some of the content, which might otherwise cause some confusion in Grand Bahama island. As yo
CARIBBEAN FIRM TO TAKE OVER TOP TOUR DESTINATION
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A leading New Providence tourist attraction is set to be transformed into a "first class destination" via an investment worth "millions" of dollars, Tribune Business can reveal, with its Bahamian owners set to sel
DON'T SETTLE FOR A SURVIVAL 'RUT'
By Ian Ferguson A paradigm is defined as a mindset or pattern of behaviour that appears to be the established norm. A paradigm shift, though, is the force driving individuals and organisations out of that prevailing mindset, propelling them towards a bri
PRIVATE SECTOR LOAN DEFAULTS HIT $301M
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Almost one-third of commercial bank loans to Bahamian businesses are in arrears, something the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chairman described as a sign that economic recovery
SPEED WEEK 'CAN BECOME LIKE MONACO'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Speed Week Revival organisers are examining whether to create a permanent race track in the Arawak Cay area, the minister of tourism telling Tribune Business that this nation could effectively match Monaco
LANDFILL SOLUTION REMAINS 20-30MW WASTE-ENERGY PLAN
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government is still targeting a waste-to-energy plant that could produce 7-10 per cent of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation's (BEC) installed capacity as the 'end game' solution for the Tonique Williams-Darl
AML bucks 'post-Xmas lag' via 10% same-store rise
AML bucks 'post-Xmas lag' via 10% same-store rise By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor AML Foods yesterday said fears of a top-line hit from consumers taking ever-longer to recover from Christmas had failed to materialise, with its same-store sales
BEC partner targets eco-industrial park
BEC partner targets eco-industrial park By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor BEC's ocean thermal energy partner yesterday revealed it plans to develop an eco-industrial park in the Bahamas, leveraging its project into technology and export spin-offs
Bahamas realtor starring on HGTV
A Bahamian realtor with ERA Dupuch played a starring role on the well-known HGTV channel, helping to find a rental property that satisfied the requirements of a professional expatriate couple. "This couple had just moved from Dubai, and were excited about
BONDED VEHICLE WOE IN FREEPORT
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Customs is insisting that Freeport residents who have bonded vehicles to operate part-time businesses cannot use them to travel to/from their main jobs, a former Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce president
