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62 63 the rights for Central and South America, and the Caribbean.The brand is doing well in Jamaica and has a strong following. Ann Marie Walters, Business Unit Director for Unicomer Ja- maica, oversees the branch performance, operationally and strategically, as it relates to growing the brands, and the intentions for Jamaica. She notes, “It’s really about looking at those brands that are doing very well, and continuing to expand them. We started with Radio Shack in Mandeville, and we intend to add two more Radio Shack brands in the country before the end of the year.Also, Ready Cash, our cash loan business, is something we focus on for expansion; we see it as a very good business model.” Unicomer Jamaica employees about 1000 persons in-house. Add to that, contractors, deliv- ery people, and technicians, and there’s another 600 to 700 per- sons that work for the company. Community service and char- itable activities are extremely important.Headquartered in El Salvador, the Unicomer Group allocates funds across all its businesses through a CSR (Corpo- rate Social Responsibility) budget. Every country within the group has an amount to spend.Harris Every day, care. ™ Every meal you cook, every dish you wash, every shirt you clean - that`s caring. And every act of care you give helps the people you love become people who love. That´s why at Whirlpool ® , we believe that helping you care for the ones you love is the most important thing we can do. UNICOMER GROUP, JAMAICA explains,“We have to make sure we have a thor- ough program that covers all the areas of commu- nity development and community building–sports scholarships, building small business enterprises, small donations, basic humanitarian needs–it is quite wide ranging from that point. “Our overall vision and ethos is to try to improve the quality of life in Jamaica.That is what our company was founded on-being able to provide furniture and appliances to the wider Jamaica.This speaks to the Courts brands, but it is also the phi- losophy of our other brands as well. Because it is a relatively low-income country,we need to make sure things are affordable and achievable.That underpins everything we do.One of our key deliver- ables is that we provide credit to our customers.Not only can you buy that fridge or stove, but if you don’t have enough cash you can take it out in install- ments.And we provide the financing for it to help improve that quality of life that’s so needed.” The tagline for the Courts brand is “Adding Value Every Day,” something the company strives towards for its customers and the country of Jamaica.Har- ris adds,“In a way, our CSR is part of that drive of adding value for the people here.We have more than 60 stores, and we’re literally in every corner of Jamaica.Our differentiator is the investment we put into our employees in terms of training and development.We strive for service and excellence in everything we do.That doesn’t say we get it right all the time but, believe me, it really upsets us when we don’t get it right.” Courts is one of the strongest brands in Jamaica, and Unicomer is building that brand awareness