Business View Caribbean Dec. 2018 / Jan. 2019

48 49 F ounded in 1944 by Sir Joseph Quentin Charles, JQ Charles Ltd. started as a small Castries-based grocery retail operation on the island of St. Lucia. “My grandfather was a consummate businessman with tre- mendous business acumen,” says current Company CEO, Gordon Charles.“The busi- ness grew and grew to a point where he expanded it into something significant because there was so much opportunity, at the time, on our small island.” In fact, J.Q. Charles refused to be con- fined to one industry. By the 1970s, the A ST. LUCIA LEGACY THE JQ CHARLES Group of Companies AT A GLANCE THE JQ CHARLES GROUP OF COMPANIES WHAT: A group of companies that include retail, automotive, insurance, and real estate WHERE: Castries, St. Lucia WEBSITE: www.jqcharlesgroup.com