Mixed bag for mall owners

Shopping malls and their tenants in and outside Bridgetown are having mixed experiences, given reports of reduced customer spending.John Reid, who was responsible for renovating and developing the Town Square Shopping Centre in Speightstown, St Peter, was one of those who reported tough times.“I think everyone has been struggling. We’ve lost two or three tenants,” he said of the Queen Street complex that opened last year.“I think they just weren’t able to sustain the business,” he said, noting that potential tenants were expressing interest.Reid noted that four of the 22 shop spaces are vacant and sometimes he has to “chase” tenants for their rent.He added that while people are visiting the complex, they are not spending.When asked whether he was hopeful of a turnaround, he said, “Things aren’t looking too good. We depend on England and Europe, and things there don’t look great.”Also, Barbados is still an expensive destination, he said.However, Mall Eighty Nine on Roebuck Street, The City, seems to be attracting new tenants.One store owner who has been there for almost two years said the mall was “empty before”.He said he is “holding his own at this time”.“Sales were slow before but it has picked up a lot,” he said, attributing this to the impending new school term.Mall Eighty Nine has over 40 store spaces but BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY was informed that the upstairs section is no longer operational.Of the 36 spaces available downstairs, six are vacant.In the smaller Mall 34 on Broad Street, about half of the spaces are tenanted.Meanwhile, nearby Broad Street Mall has reportedly been closed for renovations. According to a man who gave his name only as Mr Lowe, the complex has 14 available spaces and ten were tenanted prior to the closure.He said all those businesses have movedto nearby buildings.