WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Business owners in Westmoreland are reeling from the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses.

Some have had to close their doors for the last three or so months while others have stood their ground and struggled with noticeable increases in charges from suppliers and a decrease in prices offered to customers.

Both scenarios have increased the financial burden on some owners and many are uncertain how they will proceed now that the economy is gradually reopening.

JOHNSON’S FRUITS

Westmoreland relies heavily on tourism, and many businesses are dependent on the sector.

Garfade Johnson, owner of Johnson’s Fruits and Vegetables in Grange Hill, saw his sales figures plummet by 60 per cent.

“Because the hotels closed down, I lost a lot of sales from that sector,” he said. “Asides from the fact that I supply several hotels in Negril and lost those sales, many of my customers are hotel workers who lost their income, so I lost from different sides of the equation. I managed to survive because I still had a few local customers, who, although they were purchasing less, were still contributing to my revenue, and for that, I am grateful.”

Johnson explained that another factor that severely impacted his business was that his suppliers increased their prices by more than 50 per cent for some products.

“Lettuce went up to $800 per pound, when it usually averages $350 per pound,” he explained.

“When COVID-19 just started the farmers stopped producing as they once did, so things got scarce. Then when the supplies were replenished to normal amounts, the prices increased. I think it was unfair to consumers who already had no money due to job loss, so that I couldn’t increase the price.”

Johnson informed that now that the industry is reopening, he is regaining some of his hotel clientele.

SAMUELS HARDWARE –

In Little London, Samuel’s Hardware, which also operates a branch in Negril, saw the former location did better in the intense COVID-19 period than the Negril location. The Negril store had to put staff on rotation as sales decreased. Samuel’s Hardware has been in operation for over 30 years, with the Negril location being the youngest, operating for 17 years.

Courtney Samuels, the owner of the hardware, revealed that the Negril location saw a 40 per cent decrease in sales.

“We are right in the middle of hospitality activities, so we heavily depend on the industry. From the hotels, to the staff, to even the taxi operators in the area.

“Another thing that impacted us was the outstanding monies owing to the company. But we can’t pressure anyone, because we understand that this is a pandemic, a crisis, and we are all affected.”

Samuels said that with the reopening of the tourism industry, he is still uncertain about when he will see a return to regular sales.

“Although the hotels are reopening, they must be inspected before getting approval to do so, so it isn’t a sure thing that all will reopen at the same time.”

He explained that nothing much has changed, but admits that he has seen a slight uptick in sales in the past two weeks, but the staff rotation system will remain until there is a significant increase.

“Going forward, it will be hard to make changes.

“This pandemic is one that we may not see again in our lifetime, so it is difficult to put something in place for such a one-off situation,” Samuels said. “It came so suddenly, and there is nothing that anybody could have done.”

Samuels said some of his clients sent letters of confidence, indicating that payment would resume once normality returns.

“We have to sit tight and see how best we can cope. We just have to suffer through and see how best we can survive.”

“One thing we are looking at is that we might have to be less generous in how we give credit in the future. But we cannot say at this time how things will change,” he said.

LI’S WHOLESALE –

In the town of Savanna-la-Mar, Akeen Li, owner and operator of Li’s Wholesale said that increase in prices from his suppliers and the curfew that was imposed created the challenges he experienced.

“The town was empty by 5:00 pm every day,” he stated, adding that he would close as late as 8:30 pm during his regular operating hours.

Li said ground produce such as pumpkins and other items had price increases, even tin food increased. One tin of mackerel is now selling for $20 more. So customers, who were already buying less because of lack of income, bought even less of those items. All of that impacted our sales, which decreased by over 25 per cent.”

“We can only hope for the best,” Li said.

BRIDGEZ JERK AND REST STOP – BIG BRIDGE

In Big Bridge, Courtney and Sharon Bahadur, the operators of Bridgez Jerk and Rest Stop, which houses a restaurant and a bar, had to close their doors from the first week in April.

“As a precautionary measure for our staff and customers, we had to close down,” Courtney Bahadure said.

“Staff members were afraid to serve customers because they were not sure who had the virus, so customer service got poor. Customer support also got less. Everybody was afraid of getting the virus. So we had to close.”

Bahadur explained that he paid his staff up to a point to ensure that they would have something to keep them over, and during the closed period, they would call in a few to assist with odd jobs, to ensure they earned.

“We are reopening at the end of July. God’s willing,” Sharon Bahadure said. “But we are working with the hotels in Negril, as we get a lot of our support from tourism and we will be using the hotel industry as a guide to determine when we will reopen.”

Bridgez Jerk and Rest Stop was officially opened on December 24, 2018. It has been getting support from locals and tourists, with tourists visiting mainly during the daytime hours and locals in the evenings.

Courtney Bahadur stated that they are currently setting up hand-washing stations at various points on the property and implementing all protocols as indicated by the Government.

“What will change is that we will push for more curbside pickup than dining, as due to social distancing, there will be less dining space,” he said.