Another food franchise is calling on Government to review its import duties.
Speaking to the SATURDAY SUN via telephone from her Trinidad office, Sonia Watkins, operations director of Subway Barbados, said that the high import duties, particularly on their protein products, which are the key ingredients in the majority of their menu items, are having a significant impact on the financial performance of the business.
Watkins also said if there was ever “an option to buy locally manufactured products that met the stringent quality standards required by the brand, the franchise would support that 100 per cent but unfortunately the reality is the majority of products used are simply not available locally at this time”.
“There are numerous downstream economic benefits to be seen from the franchise operating in Barbados, for example employing 100 per cent local, indirect rents, local purchases of all other supplies needed to operate the franchise which far outweigh the revenues to be gained by the punitive import duties currently being levied. We wish to continue to grow and invest in the economy through addition of locations in Barbados but will require assistance from Government via a review of the import duties in order to support our development plan and continue to offer consumers a local healthy, affordable meal option,” she said. (GB)
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