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| From left: President and Owner of Diamonds International, Albert Gad; Prime Minister Freundel Stuart; Managing Director of Diamonds International and Cartier Barbados, Jacob Hassid; his wife Michal Hassid; and Managing Director of Cartier?? Latin America and Barbados, Juan Carlos Delgado, are pictured??at the launch. (A. Gaskin/BGIS) |
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has praised the developers for their foresight that led to the development of the impressive Limegrove Lifestyle Centre.
He expressed these sentiments last night during the official opening ceremony of Cartier Boutique Store in Holetown, St. James.
The Prime Minister intimated that the mall was a tribute to Barbados in the context that "we were able to mobilise the kind of imagination that could result in a development as impressive as this".
"It is also a tribute to Barbados that we could attract to this country, Diamonds International which had been operating here for 17 years and was quietly spreading its wings across the country, by setting high standards and challenging us [Barbados] to rise to those high standards.?? Within that context, it is also very good to have so unparallel a brand as Cartier, doing business with Diamonds for the benefit of the people of Barbados," he added.
Cognisant of the importance of maintaining the island’s tourism product, Mr. Stuart said apart from the sun, sea and sand, tourists also gravitated towards high standards, be it in life or leisure.
He said:?? "there is a constituency of the tourist population… who would want to know where to find a Cartier outlet and I am pleased that Barbados is responding to that need and that henceforth, those persons who are fans and devotees of Cartier can come to Limegrove to have their needs satisfied."
As an international business domicile, the Prime Minister mentioned the importance of attracting potential investors to further strengthen the tourism and international business sectors, and he gave the assurance that government would continue to build on the existing platform to enhance the country’s profile as an international business domicile.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Cartier, Latin America and the Caribbean, Juan Carlos Delgado, said Barbados was now among the 300 Cartier stores worldwide. "This new Cartier boutique store represents the direction the brand is taking in this region. In rethinking our presence in the Caribbean, we hope within a decade to bring large boutiques to the region with a customer service experience to accommodate the tastes of today’s traveller," he said.