THE KLE Group, who operates Fiction Lounge at the MarketPlace, in Kingston are in negotiations with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) to place Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records at Falmouth cruise ship pier.

Caribbean Business Report understands that this new venture is expected to come in at a cost of US$1 million and should be ready to be launched in the third quarter of this year. The KLE Group with main principals, husband and wife team, Gary and Tina Matalon together with Kevin Bourke have garnered a reputation for creating state-of-the-art, metropolitan nightclubs and bars that draw a discerning clientele. Their ventures have become major attractions in their own right.

“Usain Bolt Tracks & Records is a dual music and sports-themed brand that is utilising arguably the world’s greatest name in sports, Usain Bolt, as the vehicle to build a strong global brand. We already have a Usain Bolt Tracks & Records at the MarketPlace in Kingston that seeks to showcase the best of Brand Jamaica through music, sports, food and culture. It is a premium casual dining and sports lounge attraction that should prove a hit with locals and tourists alike,” said Bourke.

The pier, a 95,000 square metre property is being built by RCCL in collaboration with the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) with the aim to create a one-stop entertainment complex comprising of shops, boutiques, parks, restaurants and bars with an expected 700,000 passengers annually. RCCL will develop and manage 300,000 sqare feet of shoreside buildings in three phases. The project should be ready for April of this year. The PAJ is expected to earn ground rent from RCCL of around US$3 million a year and a percentage of all gross revenues from the project.

The Falmouth pier will provide a boost to the tourism industry with visitors looking for a unique Jamaican experience and KLE sees great opportunities there. Bolt, undoubtedly the best sprinter in the world, is keen to bring his very own brand to his home parish Trelawny.

Speaking at a Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) Investor Briefing earlier this month at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel, St Andrew, VP Commercial Development at RCCL, John Tercek spoke of the product mix and offerings on the pier and noted that Usain Bolt’s Track & Records would be a major draw for the thousands of cruise ship passengers expected to alight at Falmouth.