分类： business

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A major milestone in Jamaica’s automotive retail sector is set to unfold this week, as China’s Great Wall Motor (GWM) prepares to cut the ribbon on its first purpose-built dedicated showroom on Kingston’s South Camp Road this Wednesday, June 3. The private inaugural opening ceremony will draw key industry and government stakeholders, including Senator Aubyn Hill, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, who will deliver remarks to attending guests. Joining Hill will be Hankin Zhao, GWM’s Country Manager for the Caribbean and Venezuela, alongside senior leadership from Stewart’s Automotive Group, GWM’s exclusive local partner.

In an official statement ahead of the launch, GWM confirmed that the new showroom opening comes on the heels of consistent, sustained growth for the brand across Jamaica. To date, roughly 2,000 GWM vehicles are already registered and in operation across the island, a milestone that paved the way for investment in a dedicated retail space. This facility marks the first standalone GWM showroom in Jamaica operated by Stewart’s Automotive Group, a family-run automotive stalwart that has served Jamaican motorists since 1938.

Jacqueline Lechler, Managing Director of Stewart’s Automotive Group, emphasized that the new showroom investment directly reflects rising consumer confidence in GWM among Jamaican drivers. “Launching a dedicated GWM space demonstrates our long-term commitment to the Jamaican market, and it gives customers a fully immersive authentic GWM experience all in one location,” Lechler explained. “With our customer base growing to the point that 2,000 GWM vehicles are already on local roads, it only makes sense that we provide a dedicated home for both our current and future customers.”

Lechler detailed that the decision to add GWM to Stewart’s brand portfolio followed a rigorous multi-stage assessment of automotive brands tailored to the unique driving conditions across the Caribbean, with evaluation criteria heavily weighted toward durability, long-term reliability, and overall consumer value. “Stewart’s has deep expertise in the needs of Jamaican motorists. After decades serving drivers across the island, we know what designs and features hold up to our local roads and what doesn’t,” Lechler noted. “When we set out to add a new automotive brand to our offerings, we only wanted one we could endorse with full confidence. GWM’s strategic focus on pick-up trucks and SUVs is perfectly aligned with local demand, and these vehicles are specifically engineered to navigate uneven road surfaces, the island’s mountainous terrain, and our tropical climate. This is a Chinese brand that fits exceptionally well with daily life in the Caribbean.”

Lechler also pointed out that selecting South Camp Road as the showroom location was a deliberate choice, as the corridor has evolved into Kingston’s central automotive hub. “South Camp Road is already Stewart’s core corridor here in Kingston, so we wanted GWM to grow right at the center of our existing operations,” she added. “This wasn’t the easiest choice when we were evaluating brands, but it was the right choice for Jamaica. GWM vehicles have already been road-tested in some of the most demanding markets across the globe, and we have seen firsthand how well they adapt to local driving conditions. When Stewart’s backs a brand, it’s because we are ready to support it for the long haul.”

The new showroom features a sleek, modern minimalist design, and will display the entire GWM Caribbean product line in a single open space, allowing customers to explore the brand’s latest in-vehicle technology, industry-leading safety features, and refined interior designs firsthand. Titanya Clarke, Brand Sales Manager for GWM Jamaica, outlined the brand’s unique value proposition for local consumers. “GWM stands at its core for innovation, cutting-edge technology, uncompromising quality, and accessible value,” Clarke explained. “What sets us apart from competing brands is our ability to offer premium features, contemporary design, and advanced automotive technology at a far more accessible price point than many of our rivals. Great Wall Motor’s promise to Jamaican drivers is simple: go with more. More innovation, more technology, more quality, and more value for your investment.”

Clarke also emphasized that customer relationship building is a core priority for the local GWM operation. “We center our approach on listening to our customers. From a customer’s first visit to their first routine service appointment, we want every person to feel that this is their brand and their local automotive home. Basic customer service is just our starting point; what we’re building is long-term relationships. When a GWM customer reaches out, whether it’s days or months after their purchase, we are ready to listen and respond promptly,” she added.

The full GWM line-up available at the new showroom includes the HAVAL range, headlined by the Jolion and H6 SUV models, the premium TANK off-road vehicle series, and the P-Series pickup truck, a popular workhorse that already sees widespread use in major markets including China, South Africa, and Australia. Every GWM vehicle sold in Jamaica carries a five-star global safety rating and comes with a comprehensive six-year/200,000 km warranty, giving local buyers added peace of mind.

Lechler framed the showroom opening as more than just a new retail expansion, describing it as the start of a long-term aligned partnership. “This isn’t simply opening another dealership or adding a new brand badge to a showroom wall. It’s the beginning of a long-term partnership between two companies that share core values: a commitment to durability, a focus on innovation, and a dedication to earning the trust of our customers every single day,” Lechler said. “We know GWM has the products, the technology, and the vision to thrive in Jamaica, and we’re incredibly proud to be the team bringing that future to Jamaican drivers.”

Following Wednesday’s private launch event, the new South Camp Road GWM showroom will open its doors to the general public starting Thursday, June 4. From opening day, customers are welcome to visit the facility, explore the entire GWM product range, and book test drives to experience the brand’s vehicles firsthand.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s iconic Blue Mountain coffee sector, long a cornerstone of the country’s agricultural export economy, is facing an unprecedented crisis following consecutive devastating weather events and soaring global production costs. In a public statement released this week, Dr. Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association (JCEA), has issued an urgent call for targeted investment in infrastructure and expanded mental health support for thousands of small-scale coffee farmers reeling from repeated catastrophic losses.

The industry’s current struggles stem from a perfect storm of overlapping shocks that have hit production over the past two years. First, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in July 2024, destroying significant swathes of growing land across the Blue Mountain region. Barely 16 months later, Hurricane Melissa struck in October 2025, delivering an even more severe blow to the already vulnerable 2025/2026 mature coffee crop. Compounding these climate-driven disasters are skyrocketing input and logistics costs, driven in large part by ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, which has sent global fuel and shipping prices surging to multi-year highs.

The scale of the damage is staggering. Grant confirmed that Hurricane Melissa alone wiped out nearly 40 percent of the current season’s mature harvest, eliminating approximately 100,000 boxes of coffee and causing an estimated JMD $1 billion in direct on-farm losses. Across the entire two-year crisis period, overall coffee production has plummeted dramatically: output fell from 288,000 boxes in the 2023/2024 crop year to a projected 150,000 boxes for the 2025/2026 season. This 48 percent production drop has translated to a total estimated loss of around JMD $1.5 billion for more than 5,000 independent coffee farmers across the island, with export earnings projected to fall by roughly US$15 million this year.

Beyond the tangible financial damage, Grant emphasizes that repeated crop failures have inflicted severe emotional and psychological strain on tight-knit farming communities that have relied on Blue Mountain coffee for generations. Many smallholder farmers have lost their primary source of income for two consecutive seasons, leaving many facing uncertainty about their ability to remain in the industry. For this reason, Grant stresses that psychosocial and mental health support must be paired with traditional agricultural recovery programs to address the full scope of the crisis.

“While the Blue Mountain coffee industry has always shown remarkable resilience in the face of past challenges, the cumulative impact of back-to-back hurricanes and runaway costs means we can’t afford to wait for recovery to happen on its own,” Grant said. “Urgent, coordinated action from both public and private stakeholders is required to restore production levels and build long-term resilience for farming communities.”

The JCEA is currently advocating for a suite of targeted policy and investment initiatives to reboot the sector, including the formal implementation of the Coffee Crop Resuscitation and Establishment Programme (CREP), critical rehabilitation of crumbling farm access roads that have been left impassable by storm damage, and targeted grants to help smallholders rebuild their production capacity from the ground up.

Despite the grave current challenges, Grant reaffirmed that Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee retains its status as one of the country’s most valuable and internationally recognized agricultural brands, supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the production and export supply chain and maintaining a premium reputation among specialty coffee consumers around the globe. He also expressed gratitude for the ongoing recovery support already provided by the Jamaican government, the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), and international partners, which has included funding for critical farm inputs and donations of thousands of coffee seedlings to help farmers replant damaged fields.

A freshly launched Caribbean real estate brokerage firm, Different Capital Limited, has announced an impressive early operational milestone, revealing it has secured roughly J$3.5 billion in accepted property offers across the Jamaican and Cayman Islands markets within just five months of opening its doors. In an official press statement shared this week, the company framed the strong early performance as a validation of its client-centric, quality-focused operating model, which centers on curating high-value real estate assets, delivering industry-leading investment property analysis, and nurturing long-term, trust-based relationships with all stakeholders. Beyond core brokerage services, Different Capital highlighted its specialized expertise in real estate investment trust (REIT) structuring, coordination and management as a key competitive differentiator that has allowed it to tap into fast-growing demand for accessible, professionally managed, institutional-grade real estate investment opportunities in the region. According to Chris Williams, the firm’s chairman and chief executive officer, Different Capital remains unwavering in its commitment to generating tangible value for both property owners and investors, who consistently prioritize aggressive opportunity sourcing, granular due diligence and transparent, consistent communication. Looking ahead, the company says it will continue growing its property pipeline while working toward its long-term strategic goal of claiming the top position as the leading broker for investment properties and REITs across the Caribbean market. The solid early performance points to unmet demand for specialized, client-focused real estate investment services in the region, as both local and international investors seek out structured, low-barrier access to commercial and residential property assets in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, two of the Caribbean’s most attractive real estate markets.