Business View Caribbean | March 2019

35 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MARCH 2019 general merchandise. Building materials and hardware account for about 65 percent of the overall business. All goods sold by MSO are imported, mostly by ship. Osborne reports, “The seaport in the north of the island is limited in scale, but able to handle vessels big enough to bring in all the cargo that we need, once the water is not too rough. Nothing comes by air unless it is an urgent item. Most of the building materials and hardware are from the U.S., some from Puerto Rico, while 220 volt electrical supplies are sourced from England. A significant amount of foodstuff comes from the Caribbean and some from North America.” Fifty years ago, the population of Montserrat was 11,000; today less than 5,000 people live on the island. Since the volcano forced residents to move, the government has been the mainstay of the economy in terms of redevelopment, housing, rebuilding the air and sea port facilities. There is active commerce and a growing level of tourism, but the government is certainly the main employer. Residential villa tourism has contributed to the economy since the late 1970s. Montserrat’s peace, quiet and serenity have attracted North Americans, Europeans and even Caribbean neighbours who all appreciate it’s beauty, welcoming hospitality and incredibly low crime. There is hope that the investment in geothermal energy and fibre optic cable will attract light manufacturing and other industries that are looking for low energy costs and connectivity to the ultrafast international networks. Osborne acknowledges, “One reason we’ve been able to sustain is because of our good family name. We’ve built a lot of goodwill in terms of reputation over 80-plus years. We always aim to be the best in everything we do and we certainly are number one in building materials, in hardware, in wholesale foods. Hopefully, the volcano will go back to sleep soon and there will be reinvestment in property and infrastructure. Our current focus, therefore, is readying ourselves for that resurgence.” Embracing technology is another key factor for the company’s continued success. Offerings such as electronic paint color matching technology are attracting and inspiring shoppers. “We want to provide pretty much what you can buy in Canada and the U.S., albeit on a smaller scale,” says Osborne, “to give customers a first-world experience, whether it be the products, the service, the environment, thus, our recent upgrades to the retail stores in both locations. ‘Do It Best’ (a worldwide M. S . OSBORNE LTD . (MONTSERRAT ) above Directors from left to right: Michael Osborne, Derek Osborne, Trevor Bristol, Vaughn Bahadur