At least one company may seek compensation for revenue lost due to the early closure of Fontabelle road last Friday to facilitate the Rihanna LOUD concert at Kensington Oval.
Paul Rowe, director of DaCosta Mannings Retail Ltd, said he was not notified about the 2 p.m. closure to vehicular traffic and only became aware when contacted by BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY.
The closure came in a business week that got started on Wednesday after two consecutive public holidays.
“It is disrespectful to businesses,” he said, adding that DMI would meet with the “powers that be” to seek “recourse” and compensation for revenue lost between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. The business usually closes at 5 p.m. when the business usually closes.
Rowe noted that a meeting was not held between organizers and affected businesses to seek a “compromise”.
“We understand it is a national event for the good of Barbados but you need a balance,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Brancker’s manager Carol-anne Brancker said that company was notified by police on Wednesday but she felt this was too late.
“I understand they have to have a show but I wish they had been more considerate. It puts us at a disadvantage,” she said, noting that the company would lose revenue in an already difficult period.
“We already had two days off for [Kadooment Day and Emancipation Day]. We didn’t expect it to be closed from so early [Friday].
“We’ve had to pay for ads on the radio and in the newspaper to say that we will close early,” she said, noting that unlike some companies, Brancker’s does not have an alternative entrance.
Brancker said the company understood that there were logistical considerations and was “not looking to put a damper on things”.
However, she said, “it seems nobody is looking out for the businesses that are here all the time”.
