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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
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Jamaican firm ‘Within the ball park’: takes 60% of Govt debt near $9bn food distributor
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
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HE government’s first quarter fiscal outturn was “within the ball park” of projections, the deputy prime minister said last night, as $692m in net borrowing drove its direct debt to almost $8.9bn. K Peter Turnquest told Tribune Business its financial performance for the three months to end-September had not deviated too far from the May budget forecasts, although he conceded that revenue was “a little behind” and spending
• Q1 deficit rises almost seven-fold to hit $336.3m • DPM: ‘We’re working hard’ to avoid more borrowing • VAT revenues almost cut in half with $131m fall-off
K PETER TURNQUEST
“a little ahead” of those predictions. While he lacked access to the actual figures due to being in 14-day quarantine, Mr Turnquest said the Ministry of Finance was “very carefully” managing a government debt portfolio that will have been increased by a further $352m following the quarter’s end due to the net proceeds from the recent $600m foreign currency bond issue.
He spoke out after the government’s “fiscal snapshot” for the 2020-2021 first quarter, released late yesterday, laid bare how COVID-19 is ravaging the public finances, as well as those of private companies and Bahamian households. The report disclosed that the government’s direct debt had jumped by almost $1.3bn or 21 percentage points year-over-year,
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COVID ‘confusion’ hurts Sandals’ Bahamas return
By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net SANDALS chief executive yesterday warned “not to hold on to” the February 1, 2021, re-opening date for its Bahamian resorts with this nation’s COVID restrictions creating “confusion in the market”. Adam Stewart, group chief for Sandals Resorts International, told the Exuma Business Outlook webinar that the situation surrounding the return of its Royal Bahamian and Emerald Bay properties was changing “week to week” due to multiple factors. Voicing optimism that traveller demand will “accelerate” once past next week’s US presidential election, Mr Stewart indicated that forward bookings were just one consideration for
• Resort chief: Lack of certainty compared to rivals • Warns Bahamians ‘don’t hold to’ February 1 open • Hopeful demand ‘accelerates’ post-US election
ADAM STEWART Sandals when evaluating whether to re-open its Bahamian hotels. The resort chain has opened in every other Caribbean nation bar The Bahamas, but the Sandals chief said this did not mean it had “fallen out of love” with the country. He
Govt exhausted $14m COVID food budget in three months By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE government exhausted the $13.9m budget it had provided to feed hungry Bahamians for the full 2020-2021 fiscal year within just three months, it was revealed yesterday. K Peter Turnquest, deputy prime minister, confirmed the disclosure contained in the “fiscal snapshot” report for the three months to endSeptember 2020, and acknowledged this has forced the government to repurpose scarce funds from elsewhere to maintain its
$1.3m per week support for the National Food Security Task Force. “We’re not surprised, but it’s certainly not what we had hoped for,” Mr Turnquest said of the increased demands on the government to fight hunger. “We had hoped tourism would come back at the end of September, and that we would have some abatement in the level of infections. “As a result, we have suffered a second wave and a second lockdown, which is having the deleterious effect we are seeing.” Philip Smith, the Bahamas
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BPL burden increase via new $246m loan By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power & Light (BPL) is facing an increased financial burden after being made responsible for servicing a $246m loan that paid out government guaranteed debt. The government’s 20202021 first quarter “fiscal snapshot”, released yesterday, revealed that the cash-strapped state-owned electricity monopoly is having to meet the interest payments on the new loan and not the Public Treasury
- until it can be paid out with the proceeds from its planned $535m Rate Reduction Bond (RRB) offering. The extra burden was imposed when the new loan replaced a previous $246m facility that was guaranteed by the government. The refinancing effectively took this debt off the government’s books, as it meant it was no longer responsible for repaying the lenders if BPL was unable to do so. “Under a separate Parliamentary borrowing resolution, dated June 22,
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explained that this nation had been left to last because the path to re-opening here was more uncertain due to the government veering between COVID-19 lockdowns/restrictions and the relaxation of such measures. Mr Stewart said that “the clearer that we are with the marketplace”, the easier it is to stimulate travel demand and give potential tourists certainty as to the conditions they will face in terms of COVID-19 restrictions. “One of the most complicated things that has happened for everyone, and not just the government
of The Bahamas, has been what is the pathway?” he added. “What will people need to do, and what has evolved? Of course, there have been a couple of lockdowns in The Bahamas due to spikes and the decisions that need to be made. “With each one of those lockdowns, every action has an equal reaction. It’s created confusion in the marketplace, and other countries like the Dominican Republic and Mexico have decided just to open their borders and they have gotten ahead.” The Bahamas’ decision to impose a 14-day mandatory
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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A PUBLICLY-traded Jamaican firm is “realising remarkable growth” upon entering the Bahamian food distribution market via its acquisition of a 60 percent majority stake in a local wholesaler. Everything Fresh Jamaica, in an October 16, 2020, statement to its shareholders and that country’s stock exchange revealed that it had received all necessary regulatory approvals to cement its control of its Bahamian subsidiary. The identity of the Bahamian company it acquired has not been disclosed to either its shareholders or the Jamaican media. However, research by Tribune Business revealed it appears to be the former Continental Foods, which was based off Joe Farrington Road in eastern New Providence. The address and post code for Everything Fresh Bahamas, which is listed as 28 Marigold Farms Road, match those for Continental Foods as listed on the Department of Inland Revenue’s (DIR) database of VAT taxpayer identification numbers (TINs). When this newspaper rang the phone number for Everything Fresh Bahamas, attempting to contact Continental Foods’ managing director, Patrick Treco, it was told he had gone out. Mr Treco, who also operated the well-known Blue Hill Meat Mart plus other food retail outlets, did not return the call seeking confirmation of the sale and whether he is now a minority partner with Everything Fresh.
However, Gregory Pullen, Everything Fresh Jamaica’s chairman, indicated to the company’s shareholders that The Bahamas expansion is the first step in replicating its business model throughout the Caribbean via an aggressive growth strategy financed by the proceeds of its recent initial public offering (IPO). “Consistent with our vision when Everything Fresh Jamaica completed its IPO, the company has sought to replicate its operations and its success in other islands of the Caribbean region,” Mr Pullen wrote. “In early 2019, with the blessing of the Board, the company began exploring a transaction that would accomplish this critical diversification goal...... Everything Fresh Bahamas is focused on supplying food products to supermarkets and the retail trade in The Bahamas. “It has realised remarkable growth from a standing start, propelled by a knowledgeable, vibrant and logistics savvy blend of Bahamian and Jamaican staff. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we expect to see it continue to deliver value to the market and grow further in the near term.” Mr Pullen did not respond to Tribune Business messages and phone calls seeking comment before press time last night. However, his letter indicates that the deal involving Continental Foods had been in the works for more than a year and dates to preCOVID, with “the transfer of a 60 percent stake of [in] Everything Fresh Bahamas” to the Jamaican parent now complete.
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