标签： Barbados

A major expansion project at Massy Stores’ newly opened Worthing supercentre in Christ Church, Barbados, has officially entered its second phase, with the firm moving forward on a long-awaited plan to resolve ongoing customer parking shortages by adding 200 new spots.

The redevelopment initiative launched this week, with scheduled demolition of the site’s half-century-old original building set to begin after dark on Wednesday, September 2. Dionne Clarke-Emtage, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Massy Stores (Barbados) Ltd, formally announced the project’s kickoff at a press briefing held Wednesday on the grounds of the existing supercentre, joined by other company leaders including Operations Manager Kim Forde.

This phase of work comes just weeks after the official opening of the brand-new Massy supercentre, constructed on land behind the aging original structure that has stood in Worthing for more than 50 years. While Clarke-Emtage declined to publicly disclose the total monetary cost of the expansion, she framed the investment as a critical commitment to both local communities and the national economy, noting that the value of improved customer experience cannot be measured by a price tag alone.

“Putting a number to it does not replace what it’s going to do for the comfort of the customer, but I will not say that it’s cheap either,” Clarke-Emtage told reporters. “we are happy to continue to invest in the community and to continue to invest in Barbados and ensure that our customers have the best experience possible. So the cost, while it was heavy and is heavy for us, does not replace what the effect is going to be after its completion.”

Clarke-Emtage made clear that the rapid push for the second phase is a direct response to customer feedback, with parking shortages emerging as the top complaint since the new supercentre opened. Preparations for the demolition work have already reduced available parking, as large sections of the site in front of and beside the old building have been cordoned off for construction, leading to growing congestion and customer frustration around parking access and on-site traffic flow.

To minimize disruption to daily shoppers and local commuters, all demolition work will be carried out exclusively overnight over four consecutive nights, running from Wednesday, September 2 through Saturday, September 5, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Clarke-Emtage emphasized that the overnight scheduling was chosen specifically to cut down on daytime traffic interference, and to ensure the new supercentre can remain open for business throughout the demolition process with no disruption to regular operating hours.

The project also includes upgrades to the area’s drainage infrastructure, a much-needed improvement for the site. To address common concerns around construction impacts, the company has put mitigation measures in place for noise, dust, and public safety. Dust control, identified as the top priority, will rely on continuous site watering and installed sprinkler systems to keep particulate levels low throughout the demolition. Clarke-Emtage also confirmed that no heavy overnight drilling will take place, further cutting down on noise disturbance for nearby residents.

Following the completion of demolition and site preparation, construction of the new 200-space parking lot will begin, with the expansion on track to be finished by the end of November, in advance of the busy Christmas holiday shopping season. A follow-up sub-project, labeled Phase 2A, will see the repaving of the existing parking lot stretching from the nearby post office to Peronne Village, with completion scheduled for January of next year.

In addition to infrastructure improvements, the expansion project has also created new local jobs, Clarke-Emtage revealed. Including both new in-store hires and external contracted construction workers, the project has added roughly 30 to 40 new positions to the site’s workforce. Extra staff have already been deployed to manage parking and speed up checkout processes, as the new supercentre has already seen a noticeable uptick in customer traffic since its opening less than a month ago. With parking currently the biggest barrier to a smooth customer experience, adding extra support and accelerating the completion of the new parking areas is a top priority for the company, Clarke-Emtage said.

A sudden and massive surplus of fresh wild-caught fish has sent wholesale and retail prices tumbling at Barbados’ Bridgetown Fisheries Complex, forcing vessel owners and local fisherfolk to issue an urgent public call for residents to step forward and purchase the overflowing stock.

The appeal was publicly made Wednesday by experienced boat owner Donna Nobel during an on-site interview with Barbados TODAY, when she confirmed that thousands of pounds of freshly caught fish remain unsold and stored on ice across the facility, with popular species including amberfish, snapper, and tuna all facing excess supply.

Nobel explained that the current market dynamic has flipped the usual pricing logic entirely. Where limited catches in previous periods pushed retail prices higher, the sudden flood of new catches has forced sellers to slash margins to move inventory. She highlighted the exceptional value currently on offer: whole amberfish is available from fishing vessels at just $6 per pound, a price point that undercuts even affordable poultry products in Barbados.

Minor additional service fees apply for post-purchase processing, she clarified. Fisherfolk charge an extra $1 per pound to clean, debone, and fillet catches, bringing the retail price of processed amberfish to $7 per pound. For context, she outlined common pricing structures for bulk and small purchases: two one-pound packs of processed amberfish total $16, a far lower cost than many comparable protein sources on local grocery shelves. Other species also carry steep discounts: fresh snapper retails at $14 per pound (plus $1 per pound for processing), while tuna is priced at $11 per pound for smaller orders, dropping to $10 per pound for bulk purchases of 10 pounds or more.

The amberfish surplus has also created an unexpected shift in the local fishing market that explains recent price increases for flying fish, a regional staple. Nobel noted that flying fish require long, expensive offshore trips to catch, with vessels traveling up to 500 miles from shore. A single excursion can cost as much as $7 000 in fuel alone, before accounting for additional costs for crew provisions and ice. With high volumes of easily accessible amberfish already available close to shore (which swim in areas with dense seaweed populations, unlike flying fish that inhabit clearer offshore waters), most fishing boats have opted to remain closer to home instead of making the costly trek for flying fish. This reduction in supply has naturally pushed flying fish prices higher in recent weeks.

In terms of infrastructure support, Nobel confirmed that the Ministry of Environment, National Beautification and Fisheries has an existing agreement in place to supply fisherfolk with daily ice on demand, which allows operators to store and freeze excess catch to prevent spoilage. The Bridgetown Fisheries Complex itself features a centralized blast freezer that serves the entire facility, and additional cold storage capacity is available at nearby BICO facilities, so short-term storage is not a critical issue.

Even with that support, however, the extreme supply surplus has created operational challenges. The complex’s existing receiving infrastructure has reached full overcapacity, so when new vessels return to port with additional catches, operators are forced to absorb extra unplanned costs to manage the overflow.

Veteran fisherman William Mosley echoed the urgency of the appeal, explaining that he has been forced to travel off-site to sell his catch just to clear inventory. “Right now I done selling, I sell my fish at Oistins, I sell my fish all over the place just to get it done,” Mosley said.

The steep discounts have created an unexpected opportunity for Barbadian consumers to access high-quality fresh seafood at record low prices, as producers work to clear the current glut.

The Caribbean, a region defined by scattered island nations, has long struggled with a cycle of unstable intra-regional air connectivity marked by frequent airline failures, exorbitant travel costs, and inconsistent service. Now, two seasoned aviation industry professionals have put forward a comprehensive, multi-pronged proposal that they argue could upend long-standing structural issues, slash ticket prices for regional travelers, and unlock broad-based economic growth across the bloc.

The proposal comes from Captain Don Chee-A-Tow, an aviation consultant and France’s Honorary Consul to Barbados, and Paul Gravel, managing director of SVG Air, Grenadine Airways, and OECS Aircraft Maintenance. Their joint report, dated August 10 and obtained by Barbados TODAY, will be distributed to all Caribbean regional governments to catalyze policy action. At the core of their recommendations is an urgent call for fiscal reform: cutting airport usage fees, security charges, and passenger taxes specifically for legitimate intra-regional flights. The experts argue that these high cumulative costs have artificially suppressed passenger demand and left regional carriers unable to compete effectively, so downward adjustment would stimulate travel and boost the sector’s overall viability.

Beyond fiscal changes, the experts are pushing for a fundamental reclassification of regional aviation by all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, including Barbados. They contend that regional air connectivity is just as critical to economic function as core infrastructure like seaports, national highways, and telecommunications networks, and should be formally recognized as such by governments. Efficient air links underpin nearly every major sector across the Caribbean, from tourism and cross-border commerce to emergency healthcare access, post-secondary education, foreign direct investment, and disaster response resilience, they noted.

To address long-standing bureaucratic bottlenecks, the report urges regional policymakers to allocate additional funding and resources to local civil aviation authorities. This investment would speed up core administrative processes including aircraft registrations, license validations, and safety certifications, eliminating unnecessary delays that have hampered carrier operations for years.

A key pillar of the plan focuses on building a self-sufficient regional aviation workforce. The experts propose establishing a well-funded dedicated regional aviation academy to train new pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, and other core aviation professionals. Currently, most Caribbean aviation workers rely on costly overseas training programs; a local academy would create a steady pipeline of skilled local talent and reduce the sector’s dependence on foreign training institutions.

On the financing front, Chee-A-Tow, a former pilot for defunct regional carrier LIAT, and Gravel are calling for collaborative action from leading regional financial institutions including the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), alongside national governments, local commercial banks, and international development partners. The group should work together to create new, accessible financing frameworks tailored to the needs of regional carriers, they say. Possible mechanisms include partial credit guarantee schemes, dedicated aircraft financing facilities, development-focused lending programs, regional aircraft leasing initiatives, and structured risk-sharing agreements with commercial lenders. The report notes that these tools would lower the risk for lending institutions while allowing regional operators to invest in newer, safer, more fuel-efficient aircraft that cut long-term operating costs and improve environmental sustainability.

The experts also back strategic industry consolidation, arguing that the current fragmented market of multiple small undercapitalized carriers is unsustainable. They recommend that governments support the emergence of a smaller number of larger, better-capitalized regional airline groups that can achieve economies of scale, improve fleet utilization rates, and build stronger financial resilience to weather market volatility.

Additional recommendations include accelerating fleet modernization, developing shared regional centers of aviation excellence, introducing targeted public service obligation (PSO) programs for unprofitable but socially important routes, strengthening cross-carrier commercial cooperation, and reducing unnecessary political interference in airline operations.

For fleet modernization, the experts urge encouraging investment in modern aircraft sized appropriately for the small passenger volumes common to Caribbean regional routes. These aircraft deliver lower operating costs, better fuel efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and more reliable service than aging fleets currently operated by many regional carriers. Where practical, the report also encourages fleet standardization to cut maintenance, training, and spare parts inventory costs.

To maximize the use of limited regional resources and improve operational efficiency, governments should collaborate to build shared regional facilities for aircraft maintenance, pilot training, engineering education, and technical support, the proposal adds. For thin routes that are critical for connecting small island communities but not financially viable for carriers, the experts recommend transparent targeted PSO programs that provide public support to maintain service, rather than forcing airlines to absorb ongoing losses that threaten their long-term survival.

To boost commercial integration across the sector, the report recommends expanding interline ticketing agreements between carriers, coordinating flight schedules to improve connections, offering through-ticketing for multi-leg journeys, and building formal partnerships with regional tourism boards, hotel groups, and cruise line operators to stimulate passenger demand and improve the end-to-end traveler experience.

On the topic of political interference, the authors note that sustainable airline operations require long-term business strategy and sound financial management, rather than decision-making driven by short-term political objectives. They argue that professionalizing corporate governance frameworks and prioritizing business-focused decision-making can reduce unnecessary political meddling while preserving critical regional connectivity that serves public needs.

In closing, the experts emphasized that the Caribbean’s unique geography of scattered island nations makes efficient regional air travel an absolute necessity for regional integration and development. They noted that the repeated cycle of new airline launches, followed by financial distress and eventual collapse that has plagued the region for decades is not caused by a lack of passenger demand. Instead, it stems from structural challenges that have gone unaddressed for generations.

By implementing the full set of recommended reforms – from recognizing aviation as critical economic infrastructure and strengthening regulatory capacity to rebuilding local training programs, improving access to affordable financing, encouraging strategic consolidation, modernizing fleets, and reducing political interference – Caribbean governments and regional institutions can build a far more resilient, commercially sustainable regional air transport system. A stronger aviation network will not only benefit airlines, the report concludes. It will deliver widespread, long-lasting economic and social benefits to all Caribbean citizens by improving trade, expanding tourism, enhancing healthcare and education access, strengthening disaster response, boosting investment, and deepening regional integration.

Barbados is on the cusp of a major modernization push for its public transit network, with a long-awaited digital payment pilot program for public service vehicles (PSVs) set to launch within the next two to three weeks. Spearheaded by the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), the initiative aims to phase out paper ticketing, curb widespread fare fraud that has drained operator revenue for years, and bring the island’s transit system into the digital age.

Final preparations are currently in full swing, with organizers wrapping up the selection of participating operators ahead of scheduled staff training and equipment installation. Eight PSVs spanning both high-traffic commercial corridors and quieter suburban and rural routes will be outfitted with custom-built automated fare collection hardware to test real-world usability of the system, according to AOPT Chairman Roy Raphael.

“We have never operated a full cashless system on our public transport before, so this pilot will serve as our introduction to the technology,” Raphael shared in an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY. “All the system design work is complete, and we are just finalizing the selection of buses for the trial, thanks to our existing partnerships with local transit stakeholders.”

The first phase of testing will roll out across a diverse slate of routes, including busy city corridors like River Road and Forde’s Road, as well as longer rural routes serving Silver Hill, St Peter, Castle and Bathsheba. This mixed-route selection will allow project leads to collect actionable data on passenger adoption across different use cases, from short daily commutes in urban centers to longer, less frequent trips in rural areas where commuters often face extended wait times between service.

To address a long-standing regulatory barrier that derailed earlier attempts at mobile-based cashless fare systems, developers designed the new technology to use standalone, onboard validation units mounted directly to each bus, eliminating the need for drivers to handle personal mobile devices while operating their vehicles. Under Barbadian road law, drivers are prohibited from holding mobile devices while behind the wheel, a rule that required a full rework of the system’s hardware.

“What the development team did was create a dedicated unit that fits right on the bus, roughly the same size as a cell phone,” Raphael explained. “Passengers simply tap or swipe their payment card on the unit, which sends a clear confirmation directly to the driver.”

The push to accelerate the transition to digital payments comes in response to a persistent, costly issue of fare fraud that has plagued operators relying on traditional cash fare boxes. Raphael confirmed that multiple operators have reported increasing instances of passengers cutting paper banknotes into two separate pieces in an attempt to get two fares for the price of one, leaving operators with damaged, unusable currency and significant revenue losses over time.

“We are seeing more and more passengers cut $5 bills into two halves, roll up each half separately, and drop them into the fare box to count as two separate full fares,” Raphael revealed. “By the time operators collect and count the cash at the end of the day, they find two partial bills that add up to just one full $5 note.”

Beyond cutting down on this revenue leakage, Raphael noted that the transition to digital ticketing also aligns with the Barbadian government’s broader national strategy to expand digital financial inclusion and reduce unnecessary paper-based administrative processes across all public services.

To boost early adoption among commuters who are accustomed to paying with cash, the pilot program will include a range of consumer incentives and flexible journey policies. Passengers who use the new digital payment system will be eligible for rewards programs and discounted fares on multi-leg connected journeys. A time-based transfer policy will allow passengers to switch between participating routes within a two-hour window for no additional charge, and regular users will be entered into drawings for free ride rewards.

“Our core goal is to draw in commuters who currently rely exclusively on cash payments,” Raphael said. “The more you ride with the digital system, the more opportunities you have to earn rewards. After you tap your card, you may even be selected for an instant win for a free trip.”

While a handful of final operational details, including processing fee structures and revenue sharing protocols, are still being finalized, AOPT leaders frame the upcoming pilot as a transformative first step toward building a fully automated, cashless public transit network for the entire island.