One week before Exuma welcomes the biggest Family Island event on the Bahamian calendar, the National Family Island Regatta, one of the island’s key businesses will unveil its new look and feel, ready for the crowds and a future that looks vastly different from its past.
BTC in George Town will open its doors April 19 following a major two-month renovation that transformed dated administrative offices into a 2,500 square foot sophisticated, vibrant retail experience with a wide selection of devices and products not previously available in the Exuma retail marketplace. The store will include interactive experience stations for downloads, games, music and data and a range of services that include instant hook-up.
Officials from Nassau are slated to be on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony that signals the start of a new era in telecommunications in the Central Bahamas island.
The George Town renovation that involved a complete interior demolition and rebuild — or what the project manager called a ‘rip and replace’ — is part of a pledge the company made just under one year ago, promising to open 50 new or remodeled locations by 2012 year-end, dramatically changing and extending BTC’s retail footprint.
“We pledged a new retail footprint and we are pleased to be delivering on that promise,” said BTC CEO Geoff Houston. “The response we are getting from the public to the new look and feel has been heartwarming, telling us we are on the right track with our customer driven business with new products, lower rates and faster speeds in what we deliver and how we deliver it. What makes us especially proud is that even though we started later than we had originally planned, we have been able to meet our self-imposed deadlines through the hard work and dedication of our entire team and employing some 200 Bahamian construction workers since we began with the Mall at Marathon project late last year.”
According to Sophia Hart-Rolle, Exuma Manager, the island is ready for the new look and feel.
“We had to close this store on February 3 for the renovation, but the response from people peeking in out of curiosity as we are re-directing them to another location has been amazing,” she said. “You can see the surprise in their eyes. They’re complimenting us to the hilt while we are still under construction.” The store has a vibrant tropical colonial look with turquoise, yellow and sharp white paint and trim, tiled verandah, handicapped access, and ultra-modern interior with walls splashing with colour.
BTC is churning out transformed stores in rapid-fire succession, each bursting floor-to-ceiling with a bright look and feel – the flagship Mall at Marathon store in Nassau in December, Pioneers Way in Freeport, Grand Bahama in January, Bay & George Streets in downtown Nassau in March with Shirley Street opening April 23. Treasure Cay, Abaco is slated to open shortly. Four stores in Eleuthera are under construction and renovation and Marsh Harbour, Abaco and Long Island are on the near horizon.
Despite the speed, every store has a feeling unique to its location with original artwork created by a local artist reflecting a Bahamian theme portrayed in BTC’s vivid colours of turquoise, yellow and hot pink. In Exuma, the art work is being kept a secret until the ribbon-cutting on the store.
Diane Phillips and Associates
