Business View Caribbean Dec. 2018 / Jan. 2019

52 53 Realty division. “Real estate development, prop- erty management, and the automotive division drive investment,” Gordon explains. “We gave up a lot of manufacturing because, on a small island, the economies of scale don’t justify it. Things can be imported cheaper –plastic bags, laundry detergent. So, you’d be protecting an industry that doesn’t make any sense, in some cases.” JQ Motors is one of the largest dealers on the island and offers autos from Mitsubishi, Chevro- let, Suzuki, Mercedes, Audi, and trucks from Fuso. Gordon says the company has strong competition from other dealerships – including one that sells Toyota, Hyundai, Honda and Subaru, and anoth- er that sells KIA Isuzu, and Mazda. “We go neck and neck with them most times during the year,” he avers. “What keeps us strong is our range of products. In this market, where brands can be up one day and down another, it’s important.We also have some good support from Chevrolet in terms of batteries and accessories that are well-placed and well-priced. So, we developed a distribution arm, which helps strengthen our automotive brand.We also have an excellent location–high visibility in a high traffic area.” For decades, the biggest area of concentration for the Group was supermarkets and food dis- tribution, in general. Our direct involvement in that part of the business has been scaled down somewhat, since the supermarket company is directly managed by the majority shareholder, the Massy Group out of Trinidad. “Across the islands, Massy Supermarkets are a dominant force,” Gor- don admits. However, as a minority shareholder, THE JQ CHARLES GROUP OF COMPANIES JQ Supermarket Ltd. still plays a significant gov- ernance role with its St. Lucia stores, as well as on the neighboring island of St. Vincent, where there are three. “The economies of scale keep that business going,” Gordon notes. “And one of the things that keep us apart from competition is the association with the Massy Group, which means that our purchasing power is regional and that is one strength that we are able to leverage.” JQ Realty Inc. is one of St. Lucia’s larger real estate companies with a portfolio of properties across the island, including supermarket locations and a shopping mall, which is run as a separate company, JQ Rodney Bay Mall Ltd. “We have a good working knowledge of the industry and are well-placed to compete,” says Gordon. “We also own a property called Choc Estate, which has ap- proximately three hundred acres of undeveloped land, and probably the best-located land between Castries and the north end of the island, where most of the devel- opment is.” The already developed component of Choc Estate comprises approximately 10 acres of a modern commercial complex which accommodates the head office of the JQ Charles Group of Companies, as well as the GORDON CHARLES