Cutting the Ribbon – Maurine Prescod, Manager of the newest BTC store in the BAF Building in downtown Nassau cuts the ribbon during the official opening ceremony as Sen. Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism & Aviation; Geoff Houston, CEO, BTC; The Very Reverend Patrick Adderley, The Dean of Nassau; Tellis Symnette, Sr. Vice President
Commercial & Family Islands, BTC and Anthony Morley mural artist all look on. (Photo by Farreno Ferguson.)
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BTC to Open 2 New Nassau Stores, Bay
Street to Boost Downtown Restoration
More
than 150 invited guests were on hand when Minister of Tourism & Aviation
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace officially opened the new BTC store at the western
entrance of historic Nassau Monday evening. That VIP event will be followed by
a public grand opening Saturday, complete with Easter weekend family
entertainment.
The
new store is one of two locations opening in New Providence this month as part
of BTC's ambitious plan to vastly expand the company's retail footprint, transforming
dated administrative offices or building new stores and opening 35 locations by
the end of 2012. Already, BTC has completed renovations or is in the midst of
construction on nine of those.
A BTC ‘Dude’ interviews Sen. Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism & Aviation after he officially opened the BTC store in the BAF Building on Bay & George Streets. (Photo by Farreno Ferguson.)
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The
other Nassau location in the Shirley Street Plaza serves Paradise Island and
the Eastern District, including many of the island's schools.
"We
are continuing at a very fast pace encouraged by the positive response we are
getting since we opened the first store with the new look and feel at the Mall
at Marathon in December," said Marlon Johnson, VP, Brand and
Communications. "Three months later, we are still getting an amazing
amount of foot traffic in the Mall store every day. There is a cheerfulness
about it that customers respond to along with the ability to try out products,
download music, experiment with gaming, all sorts of hands-on experiences that
were never available before and now exist with friendly staff who can show you
how to use a new device in an atmosphere charged with art and energy."
Reach Out & Touch - Guests take a closer look at the latest phones and tech gadgets at the newest BTC retail experience store on Bay & George Street which was officially opened by Minister of Tourism & Aviation, Sen. Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace. (Photo by Farreno Ferguson.)
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The
Shirley Street renovation was one of the most dramatic. Once a narrow linear
office with clerks who accepted bill payment behind glass separation panels and
returned change in a sliding metal drawer, the re-created Shirley Street location
will be a bright, inviting store with artwork and Caribbean colours throughout,
live mobile and fixed line phones and other devices, displayed and ready to use
in a vibrant environment.
"Along
with taking that little galley-like space into the 21st century, we are
expanding the hours and will be open all day on Saturdays starting before the
end of April," said Johnson. The
Bay Street renovation is the largest since the Mall store and presented the
most challenges. BTC moved its downtown space from east of East Street in the
former Mike's Shoe Store to the BAF Building diagonally across from the British
Colonial Hilton.
Block Party - Hundreds attended the BTC block party held during the official opening ceremony of the newest BTC store Bay & George Streets. The sweet sound of Visage filled the air while attendees enjoyed canapes and cocktails. (Photo by Farreno Ferguson.)
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"The
architectural demands of this site created one set of challenges," said
retail lead Bob Gill, "but that was just the tip of the iceberg."
Because the building had been used by a number of different businesses and
subdivided over many decades, including at one time as a bank, it had uneven
floors that varied by as much as a foot. "The other challenge was that it
is in a building where a court and other businesses are located so we had to
limit noise of demolition during the day and much of our work is being carried out
at night."
According to Johnson, BTC believes its
downtown store complements the restoration of historic Nassau.
"We
looked at several prospective locations for our downtown retail space and what
really persuaded us that this was the right choice in spite of the
construction-related challenges and the rounded architectural complexity was
that this building will stand at the formal entrance to historic Nassau,"
said Johnson. "We believe it will become an historic landmark and we are
excited about playing a significant role in the transformation of our capital
city."
BTC
is also wrapping up work on stores in George Town, Exuma, Treasure Cay, Abaco
and work is underway on four locations in Eleuthera. The company opened its
renovated Grand Bahama store in January. So far, officials said, the retail
roll-out is within budget and on schedule.