Caribbean Trading Limited (CTL)

From Storm Survivor to Caribbean Giant

After 65 Years and Surviving Hurricane Irma, This Family-Owned British Virgin Islands Hardware Retailer is Setting Its Sights on Caribbean-Wide Dominance.

In a region where businesses often struggle to survive beyond a generation, one family enterprise has not only endured but thrived for nearly six decades. Clarence Thomas Limited, known locally as CTL Home Center, is one of the British Virgin Islands’ oldest hardware home centers, having weathered economic storms, natural disasters, and market changes since its founding in 1967. What was started by a licensed plumber seeking reliable materials for his jobs, has evolved into what many consider the territory’s retail giant.

“It’s a hardware home center located in the British Virgin Islands specializing in building materials, home goods, and similar items,” explains Michael Thomas, the company’s Managing Director and son of founder Clarence Thomas. The business operates as a comprehensive one-stop destination serving everyone from weekend DIY enthusiasts to major resort developers across the Caribbean’s sailing capital.

CTL has established itself as a crucial community infrastructure provider, particularly evident during Hurricane Irma in 2017 when their Fish Bay location became the island’s primary supply hub for reconstruction efforts. Their main Tortola store features a drive-through lumberyard and over ten specialized departments, while a smaller Virgin Gorda location focuses on essential hardware and plumbing supplies. With the BVI government projecting tourism revenue to reach $410.77 million in 2024 and ongoing infrastructure investments, CTL’s role in supporting residential and commercial development continues to expand throughout the 35,000-person territory.

A Family and Community-Centered Approach

CTL operates under a philosophy that maintains its status as a registered corporation within the British Virgin Islands while preserving the intimate connections that define family enterprises. This dual identity shapes every aspect of their operations, from employee retention to community engagement during the territory’s most challenging periods.

“This business was started by my parents and remains a family-based business, but it’s an actual corporation set up within the territory, and we are still run by the family with lots of involvement by the family,” Thomas explains. The company’s approach to workforce development reflects this family-oriented structure, with many employees remaining loyal for decades. “A lot of the employees have been with us for over 20 plus years making them essentially family.”

The depth of CTL’s community integration became most apparent during Hurricane Irma’s devastating impact in 2017. While many businesses shuttered or relocated, CTL’s Fish Bay store survived 225-mile-per-hour winds and immediately reopened as the island’s primary supply center. “During the hurricanes when everything went sideways in the BVI, the one company that stood the test and basically was at the forefront of the rebuild was CTL,” Thomas states. 

The company maintained full employment, provided shelter for workers, and ensured essential supplies reached recovery efforts. “CTL belongs to the public, it belongs to the people of this country. That’s why we’re here.” This community-first mentality defines CTL as an essential community anchor supporting the territory’s resilience and recovery efforts.

Building Success Through Collaboration

CTL’s ability to maintain consistent inventory and competitive pricing in a remote island market stems from carefully cultivated supplier relationships spanning multiple decades. The company has built a diversified network combining direct manufacturer partnerships with membership in major buying cooperatives, creating supply chain resilience that proved crucial during recent global disruptions.

“We represent a broad base of suppliers directly, like Makita Power Tools, like TOTO Plumbing Fixtures, but we’re also part of a huge buying group called Orgill, and we just actually started out with Do It Best,” Thomas explains. The Makita relationship exemplifies CTL’s long-term partnership approach, with nearly three decades of collaboration including joint customer events and product demonstrations. “We’ve been distributors for Makita for nearly 30 years. They’ve supported our business, getting involved at this level.” TOTO, the premium bathroom fixture manufacturer whose products appear in Las Vegas hotels and major airports, highlights CTL’s quality offerings despite the small market size.

The Orgill partnership is CTL’s most significant supply relationship, providing access to thousands of products through one of America’s largest wholesale distributors. “I’ve been with them for over 30, approaching 40 years, and they basically rise to the challenge,” Thomas notes. During Hurricane Irma’s aftermath, Orgill suppliers extended credit terms and prioritized shipments to support reconstruction efforts. “They forewent a lot of payments that were needed during the time that we were going through our stresses as a country. They just made sure that we had a product because in their minds, as they said, if you guys don’t function, we don’t function.”

Workforce and Local Focus

Operating in one of the Caribbean’s smallest territories presents unique challenges that require a deep understanding of local dynamics and workforce development. The British Virgin Islands’ population of approximately 35,000 people creates a tight labor market where CTL must balance local hiring preferences with the need for specialized skills across their diverse operations.

“We prefer to hire locals first as much as we possibly can. Wherever we can find those persons qualified for what we’re looking for, the first persons we would prefer to hire would be the islanders or belongers as they are called,” Thomas explains. “We do have a fair amount, but CTL is still 70% locals or BVI belongers and the other 30% is a mixture of persons from throughout the Caribbean, South America, the Philippines, and the US mainland.”

The scale challenge becomes apparent when comparing the BVI market to neighboring territories. Thomas puts the limitation in perspective: “Remember right now the British Virgin Islands represents only 35,000 people throughout the entire British Virgin Islands compared to our neighbors next door, the US Virgin Islands, where St. Thomas alone is over 70,000 people.” Despite the small market size, CTL benefits from the territory’s high per capita income and diverse economy anchored by financial services and tourism, creating consistent demand for residential and commercial construction materials.

From Building Materials to Home Décor

CTL’s product strategy has evolved to match shifting market conditions in the British Virgin Islands, where traditional construction activity faces headwinds while other segments show promising growth. The company maintains its core building materials business while expanding into higher-margin categories that serve residential customers and the territory’s luxury hospitality sector.

“Our market is not growing where it should be growing in the BVI compared to the rest of the region around us. But we still do well with building materials and basic hardcore building material, plumbing materials, that type of thing,” Thomas acknowledges. However, the company has identified strong performance in alternative product categories. “What really works well is the home décor side of what we do. Also, furniture, home décor products, that type of thing, appliances, that actually works out really well.”

The territory’s high-end resort industry provides a consistent revenue stream through maintenance and repair contracts. CTL supplies materials for ongoing upkeep at luxury properties throughout the islands, leveraging relationships built over decades. “We do have a lot of high-end hotels and properties in the BVI, and we’re happy to be able to supply a lot of their repair needs as they need them to repair whatever they’re going through at the time,” Thomas explains.

Special ordering has become a crucial service differentiator in the constrained market environment. “Our special-order department is constantly special-ordering products for individuals, whether for homes, hotels, or what have you. So, we do quite a bit because our market is so small, you can’t basically store everything,” Thomas notes. With BVI construction costs averaging $350-500 per square foot and the government investing $2.6 million in road improvements for 2024, demand for specialized materials continues despite broader market challenges.

Automation and Digital Transformation

CTL has embarked on an ambitious modernization program designed to streamline operations and eliminate manual processes that have long characterized traditional hardware retail. The initiative encompasses everything from pricing systems to customer interaction platforms, positioning the company for enhanced efficiency in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

“We’re trying to make this business as efficient as we possibly can. We’re working feverishly trying to make sure that we get all these things implemented,” Thomas explains. The transformation timeline is aggressive, with most automation systems expected to be operational within months. “I think within the next year and a half, we should be pretty much where we want to, where most everything for us would be practically automated.”

Electronic price tags are one of the most visible changes. “We’ve added pricing electronic tags throughout the stores or gotten rid of all those paper tags that you see all over the place in hardware stores or any store supermarkets and things of that nature,” Thomas notes. The pricing system updates multiple times daily, automatically adjusting when new inventory arrives or costs change. “Our price systems are updated three or four times a day. Once prices change, once we receive a product, the prices are automatically updated.”

The company’s website development focuses on creating fully interactive e-commerce capabilities while maintaining the importance of physical locations. CTL has also implemented customer relationship management systems and artificial intelligence tools to reduce administrative burdens. Despite these technological advances, Thomas believes brick-and-mortar retail will remain essential in the Caribbean market, with online services primarily supporting convenience and special ordering rather than replacing in-person shopping experiences.

Leading the Caribbean Hardware Industry and Future Growth

CTL’s expansion strategy balances ambitious regional goals with pragmatic infrastructure investments, recognizing that growth must align with broader economic development across the British Virgin Islands. The company’s plans encompass physical expansion and market leadership aspirations throughout the Caribbean region.

“Ideally, we will keep positioning CTL to be the number one hardware home center store in not just the Virgin Islands, but most of the Caribbean also,” Thomas states. “Even though we’re in a small territory, which we are, we’re probably one of the smallest territories in the region compared to some of the bigger areas. We still compete easily with a lot of these other outfits outside of the territory.”

The Virgin Gorda expansion is CTL’s most immediate capital investment, with construction of a new facility planned to begin later this year. The project will significantly expand their presence on the island, incorporating a full lumberyard alongside traditional retail space. Additional warehousing construction addresses current capacity constraints at existing locations, ensuring adequate inventory storage for growing operations.

Management development remains a cornerstone of the long-term vision, with Thomas emphasizing the importance of developing local talent. “We’re trying to see if we can find more indigenous persons that can get involved in the business and possibly look at the possibility of transitioning management, the management side of the operations to more of our indigenous persons,” he explains.

As the British Virgin Islands positions itself for continued tourism growth and infrastructure development, CTL is poised to capitalize on opportunities while maintaining its foundational role as a community anchor. The company’s combination of deep local roots, strong supplier partnerships, and technological modernization creates a platform for sustained growth alongside the territory’s economic expansion.

AT A GLANCE

WHO: Caribbean Trading Limited (CTL)

WHAT: Hardware home center and building materials retailer specializing in construction supplies, home goods, appliances, and marine equipment

WHERE: British Virgin Islands

WEBSITE: ctlbvi.com

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