White Marl small business tenants face "uncertain future" following meeting with FCJ

Tenants occupying factory spaces at Factories Corporation of Jamaica’s Small Industrial Complex at White Marl in St. Catherine believe they are facing an uncertain future, after they met with FCJ officials on Friday.

The tenants had hoped that one of their longstanding colleagues would have been granted the right to purchase the property and continue to lease the spaces they now occupy to them.

But, according to Devon Samuels, one of the tenants, at the meeting on Friday, the FCJ told them that it had recommended to Cabinet that another entity – Lasco – be given preference to purchase the property.

“They intend to have the property developed to the tune of $700 million, and as such, ourselves will not be able to do that development, only somebody whom they term to be anchor persons – somebody with huge amounts of resources will be able to do that,” he reported Sunday on RJR’s That’s a Rap.

Asked whether FCJ had acknowledged that this proposed development was not in keeping with the original vision for supporting small business operators at the facility, he said the government agency had indeed accepted that “this particular move is not in keeping with that, but they are moving towards a particular vision which is new…”

The White Marl complex was established in the mid-1970s, reportedly in order to facilitate the growth of small business operators.

Bid to purchase

Richard Samiel, of Sammy’s Shoe Store, one of the original tenants (who used to manufacture shoes locally), who remains at White Marl, made a bid to purchase the property in May, 2019, having arrived at an understanding with his fellow tenants that, if successful in that bid, he would continue the existing lease arrangements with them.

It was at last Friday’s meeting that he and his fellow tenants were reportedly told that his bid would not be recommended for acceptance by Cabinet.

The other companies at the location are Integrated Chemicals Ltd., a manufacturer of industrial chemicals and also a water bottling operation, My Foam Company Ltd., which makes mattresses, cushions and pillows and other related items, J3R Manufacturing, which produces caramel for food colouring and cleaning chemicals, and Superchard & Sons Furnishing Ltd., which makes wooden doors and is seeking to expand into bamboo furniture manufacturing.