Jamaican-based stationery and office goods manufacturer Stationery & Office Supplies Limited (SOS) is accelerating its regional growth strategy, ramping up export volumes across the Caribbean and laying the groundwork to enter untapped markets in the coming years. In an exclusive interview with Observer Online, SOS Managing Director Allan McDaniel outlined the company’s bold expansion targets, revealing that the firm shipped roughly 12 containers of goods to regional markets last year and now aims to hit an annual volume of 20 containers to solidify its presence across Caribbean island nations.
“If we can scale up to 20 containers a year, we will start to unlock the full benefits of regional growth, building sustained product placement across all the different islands,” McDaniel explained.
In the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, ending March 31, SOS already moved four containers of merchandise to three key markets: Trinidad, St Lucia, and Barbados. The shipments are part of the company’s ongoing push to build out local distribution networks and boost regional brand awareness. Most of the exported goods came from SOS’s popular EVOLVE line, including metal furniture items such as office chairs, desks, and storage cabinets, which are being used to fulfill dealer orders and commercial projects, including new hotel developments across the region.
“During the quarter, we completed several projects in Barbados, and we shipped roughly two containers there. We also sent one container each to Trinidad and St Lucia — these are the three markets we are prioritizing for growth right now,” McDaniel said. He added that brand traction has grown significantly in two of these core markets: “For the St Lucia market for sure, and definitely for the Trinidadian market, our products have started to become well known, and customers are already requesting them by brand name and product number.”
While the company will continue to invest in its existing three core export markets, SOS’s long-term growth plan calls for expansion into additional Caribbean territories, achieved by strengthening partnerships with local dealers and distributors. Guyana and Barbados have already been flagged as high-priority markets where the company aims to build out deeper, more robust dealership networks to support increased sales.
Even as regional expansion becomes an increasingly important priority for SOS, McDaniel emphasized that the domestic Jamaican market will remain the central focus of the company’s operations, particularly for its flagship SEEK branded notebook line. McDaniel noted that while SOS eventually plans to bring SEEK products to regional markets, the rollout will require customized solutions adapted to each individual territory.
“Right now, our SEEK products are uniquely designed for the Jamaican market, featuring our local heroes and national symbols. To bring them into other markets, we will first need to rework the design of the notebooks to fit local preferences,” McDaniel explained.
Following the recent opening of its new purpose-built SEEK production factory at 26 Collins Green in Kingston, SOS has redirected much of its manufacturing capacity toward preparing for the upcoming back-to-school season, which is one of the busiest sales periods for the company’s notebook line.
“We are fully focused on ramping up production for this year’s back-to-school season, and we have already seen a notable uptick in customer orders for the period,” McDaniel said. The new SEEK factory represents a JMD $185 million investment for SOS, and it triples the company’s total notebook production capacity. The facility also consolidates the firm’s manufacturing, warehousing, and administrative operations into a single location, streamlining workflows and reducing operational costs.
The company’s growth progress was disrupted last year by Hurricane Melissa, which caused significant damage to SOS’s Montego Bay warehouse in western Jamaica. But the firm has since completed repairs to the facility and resumed full operations there in January, allowing it to fully recover its revenue base in western Jamaica and restore the site’s role in supporting the company’s broader logistics network across the country.
These efforts have positioned SOS to deliver a historic performance in the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, with total quarterly revenues climbing to JMD $539 million and net profit reaching JMD $78.7 million.
McDaniel expressed strong confidence in the company’s growth trajectory, noting that SOS remains bullish on its goal to hit $2 billion in total revenue for the full 2026 financial year.
“If Hurricane Melissa had not hit last year, we would have definitely crossed the $2 billion revenue mark last year. But that remains our target for this year, and the entire team is working hard to hit that goal,” he said. As the company’s regional expansion plans move forward, growing container shipment volumes remain at the center of its growth strategy.