Jamaicans happy to 'Payless'

 After years of being asked “when are you coming to Jamaica” the international chain of affordable footwear, Payless ShoeSource have finally answered the call to invest in the island.

It was a carnival-like atmosphere of the grand opening of the renowned Payless ShoeSource store in Montego Bay as scores of shoppers waited hours for the store to open its doors.

Although the store was scheduled to open at 10 a.m., several eager shoppers flocked the Fairview location recently from as early as 8 a.m. to be among the first persons to enter the store that is the most highly anticipated introduction to Jamaican retail sector.

“We are very encouraged by what we saw here today” according to Payless ShoeSource executive vice president Steve Gish said in response to the overwhelming turnout of shoppers at the grand opening of their first store in the Jamaica’s tourism capital.

As to why it took them this long to get to Jamaica after being in other Caribbean islands, Gish said that “we had to make sure that we had the right systems in place to do business in Jamaica and that we understood the market”.

“You have a lot of Jamaicans who travel to the United States and visit our stores and they have been asking when are you coming to Jamaica to open a Payless ShoeSource and coupled with the good economic activity now, we were encourage to come to Jamaica” he stated added.

 

“For me, I would have liked to be here from as early as last year but we had to work through some things from our end. Nonetheless, this is a great time for us to be here from an economic standpoint because the Jamaican economy is growing and we see it as a great opportunity as we have had great success in other Caribbean countries and we thought Jamaica would fit right into that” Gish further revealed.

Payless ShoeSource currently has three stores in Jamaica, two in Kingston and now this one in Montego Bay. However, in the next five weeks they plan on making another Payless addition to the second city, as constructions are currently underway at the Whitter Village in Ironshore, Montego Bay to have a second branch in the tourism capital.

“We are looking at other towns such as Spanish Town, Portmore, Mandeville, Ocho Rios and more stores in Kingston,” the Payless executive said.