IN 2020, many of the malls in the country faced significant challenges including slow foot traffic and low sales, however there has been a recent turnaround.
Business Day spoke to several businesses in in Grand Bazaar, Valpark and Tunapuna about their day-to-day operations and challenges.
THE "city" of Grand Bazaar has become the epicentre of a growing and flourishing business hub in eastern Trinidad and Tobago.
In the Valsayn-based mall itself, one can see a wide variety of businesses including bakeries, clothing stores, restaurants and bars making the mall one of the premier shopping experiences in TT.
But outside of the mall there are still several businesses that are growing and evolving. To the east of the mall, in St Augustine and Tunapuna, food stores, bars and restaurants are also propping up, making those areas key for entertainment, food and family gatherings.
South of the mall is the ever-popular Bamboo, with parts places and businesses that specialise in servicing automobiles.
Despite the challenges and setbacks that come with all business, each of these businesses make up an evolving network which supplies goods and services to the people in Valsayn and beyond.
The Grand Bazaar
Nicole Valere-Grimes, owner of a bakery called Sugar Box, has been in Grand Bazaar off and on since 2021. She came in at a time where businesses were struggling along with the rest of the world, amid the covid19 pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_1156370" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shops and food vendors are also flourishing to the south of Grand Bazaar mall.[/caption]
During the pandemic, similar to many of the malls in the country, businesses in Grand Bazaar experienced slow foot traffic and low sales. Landlords Ansa Mc Al reduced rent in the mall by 25 to 100 per cent for many stores, but, Valere-Grimes said, businesses were still leaving as the rental arrangements were not in line with the revenues they were getting at the time.
“A lot of the businesses were leaving the mall at that time,” she said. “That is how we managed to get the first store. We took the opportunity to go in there and things worked out well for us. But even two years after covid19 the economy wasn’t doing too well. A lot of shops apparently were still closing its doors. I noticed that even Francis Fashions left.
“That whole side became very empty.”
She said businesses are now making their way back to the mall with management opening its doors and arms to businesses.
One of those businesses belongs to Josephine Soleyn, owner of Flourish Boutique.
Soleyn told Business Day that she has been in the mall for a little over a year, but has been in the flower arrangement business for seven years. She said over the past year, several business in the mall have not only recovered but began expanding.
“I have seen businesses open second stores in the mall,” she said.
She however noted that there are still challenges for businesses in the mall.
“Some of the challenges may be parking and the weather would have a lot to do with
