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40 41 KISHCO TRADING LTD. PRODUCT DIVERSITY INTURKS & CAICOS RETAIL KISHCO TRADING LTD. K ishcoTrading Ltd.was created through amixof opportunityand vision. Today,a large,respected purveyor of household goods in theTurks and Caicos Islands (TCI),it all began as a giant leap of faith 20 years ago bya brave entrepreneurial couple.In 1997,on the advice of a supplier, retail store owners Chandru and SunitaMahtani planned a getaway to Jamaica and theTurks and Caicos to escape the stressful economic situation they’d been experiencing in Chile. At that point,the business environment inTurks and Caicos consisted of a couple of hotels,aMexican restaurant,a Chinese restaurant,and a lifestyle of ease.Agriculturewas basicallynon-existent,given that the soil is limestone rock. Everything had to be imported.Despite the proximity toMiami,the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic (DR),andHaiti,the lowvolume of goods being brought in toTCI meant freight costs were amazinglyhigh. Even so,theMahtanis decided to close shop in economicallychallenged Chile AT A GLANCE KISHCO TRADING LTD. WHAT: Retail shopping entities – Kishco and Kostco – serving Turks and Caicos WHERE: Three locations in TCI, with a Flagship store in Providenciales WEBSITE: www.kostcotci.com