Business View Caribbean | Feb 2019

B ashco Trading Company, “The Store That Gives You More,” was founded three decades ago in Kingston, Jamaica by Gassan Azan, current Chairman & CEO, to fill a niche market in the wholesale business. Back then, goods were being imported from the Far East and sold wholesale to vendors in Jamaica. That’s when Bashco’s travelling salesmen started selling household and haberdashery wholesale goods across the country. Over the years, demand shifted from wholesale to retail and the company grew and expanded its network of stores. The business now has 12 full-service, retail stores and three warehouses. In addition to three Kingston locations, there are two Bashco outlets in Montego Bay, as well as in Sav-la-Mar, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, May Pen, Santa Cruz, Spanish Town, and Linstead. The downtown Kingston store, called WOW by Bashco, is a commissary/deli operation that features pizza, sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items, and does extremely well catering to the local working environment. Bashco is not only a household name, but a valuable employer in Jamaica with a staff of over 900 people. Business View Caribbean first profiled Bashco Trading Company in 2017, and recently spoke with the company’s Marketing & PR Manager, Omar Azan, for an update on Bashco’s evolution AT A GLANCE BASHCO TRADING COMPANY WHAT: A retail company with 12 outlets WHERE: Kingston, Jamaica WEBSITE: www.facebook.com/bashco TRADING COMPANY THE STORE THAT GIVES YOU MORE 18