–Region Three continues to be transformed into major economic hub
–$40M supermarket opened at Leonora
By Trina Williams
REGION Three has been a magnet for investments over the past few years, as persons are answering the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s call for more ventures outside of the city and Region Four.
Residents of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) have been particularly responsive to this call, and testimony of this is the recent opening of a $40-million “hypermarket,” Premium Eats.
On Saturday, Premium Eats, a hypermarket on the Leonora Public Road, West Coast Demerara, opened its doors with the mission to cater for persons from all walks of life, and do its part to enhance the community and region.
Co-owners, Jia Hui Young and Serenity Kanhai, a business-oriented couple, during the welcoming remarks said that they were aiming to provide “West- Siders” with jobs, as well as assist local producers by purchasing from them.
In his feature address, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, commended the couple for their investment in the region and their strong commitment to accommodating everyone with their hypermarket.
According to him: “In any economy, about 60-80 per cent of the businesses are small businesses,” noting that the key to a striving economy is having citizens who would take the risk and open their own businesses.
Reflecting on the enhancements Leonora has been witnessing, Indar said there has been the development of a housing scheme and even the construction of a state-of-the-art mall and hospital.
He remarked: “Region Three, in particular Leonora, has been seeing a whole host of broad base in development. So, bringing development into Region Three is something that our government has been doing.”
Minister Indar further added that development cannot be done in isolation and thus, with the plethora of works being executed such as the setting up of a massive hotel in Coghlan Dam and the four-lane road, to name a few, this shows where the region is going.
Moreover, boasting how Premium Eats will continue to support local makers, Kanhai expounded on the fact that the hypermarket is selling a wide array of local products such as the ‘Fulaflava’ extracts and ‘Braf’s’ plantain flour, among other things.
Reflecting on what started off as just two young entrepreneurs trying to find a place in the world, Kanhai said that after meeting her husband, they established a small trading business which just catered for their clientele.
She related to the Sunday Chronicle: “So we said why not create a hypermarket where everything is there for everyone”?
Khanai added that there is even an assortment of items for home decorators, electricians, and construction workers.
In keeping with their commitment to enhance and support the region, Kanhai revealed that 90 per cent of their staff are Guyanese and they are aiming to make this percentage higher.
She further said: “We will continue on this path because at the same time we want to educate and train these local staff so they can [also] develop their skills.
Young, on the other hand, told this publication that setting up a business in an area that is undergoing a major economic shift is ideal, especially with the tremendous injections of investments from the government. He also added that he and his wife are aiming to cut the daily expenses of Leonora residents.