The Lucky Dollar brand of furniture stores is reporting a positive start to its operation in Ocho Rios.

“We had our official launch in July with an outside broadcast so a lot of people who may not have known that we were there became informed,” stated Andrea Stewart, acting chain manager for Lucky Dollar in an interview with the Caribbean Business Report.

“We have had constant traffic which has been increasing over time as more people become aware that we are actually in this location.

“We are still in the building phase but we have done pretty well so far,” Stewart offered.

Lucky Dollar which operates under the Unicomer Group of specialty retail chains offers buyers flexible payment plans, competitive prices, easy credit, and small installments for furniture and appliances.

Stewart added that the store is well placed in a central location on DaCosta Drive in the town which is visible to the public with public transportation nearby.

The Ocho Rios branch was opened because the brand identified a need in the region after observing that many clients from St Ann were travelling to shop at the Lucky Dollar location in Spanish Town.

“We are actually going into the space of these customers to offer our services at the Ocho Rios store and we will be available to people within the parishes of St Ann and St Mary,” Stewart said.

“We are responsive to our customer base.

“We have people all the way from Brown’s Town in St Ann and Port Maria in St Mary who are reaching out,” she added.

The acting chain manager explained that branch marketing is conducted within communities and towns in St Ann and St Mary.

“We do branch marketing within these communities,” she said. “We go out and identify places, partner with a store in a town square or with a gas station, and get permission to do a little set-up where we do one-on-one prospecting with persons that pass by.”

The feedback from the Ocho Rios staff is that customers are happy and they welcome the new store and its involvement in the town.

“We want to become a staple, so in terms of the customers we want to be top of mind, but Lucky Dollar is also a community-based store so we try to partner with the community in their events,” Stewart emphasised.

The opening of the new branch was seen as an opportunity to hire local people. The Ocho Rios staff consists of seven employees, including the manager who are all from Ocho Rios and its environs.

The new branch is the 11th Lucky Dollar to be opened in Jamaica. Stewart was asked if the island may see more new stores in the future.

“It has been 11 years and we have done 11 stores;so once we can identify a suitable location and it is something beneficial to the company then we will continue to expand.”

The Lucky Dollar brand can also be found in the other Caribbean countries of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.