Business View Caribbean - August 2025

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 specialordering 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 43 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08 CARIBBEAN TRADING LIMITED (CTL)

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