By Robert Andre Emmanuel
The reopening of the popular Chinese supermarket, XPZ, is inching closer. Its owner, Ping, told Observer that construction work should be completed by October.
The supermarket on Sir Sydney Walling Highway was destroyed via arson in June 2021, leaving the owners with losses of approximately EC$10 million and dozens of people out of work.
The reconstruction began in late 2022 with the team clearing away the debris of the previous structure.
Ping promised that the supermarket would be rebuilt bigger and better than before at the same location.
“Since 2023, I have been back and have been working with locals and some Chinese people together to build it…so we are soon finished, inside is fixed and I think one month [is needed] for outside repair, so we should expect to be done by the end of September/October,” Ping told our newsroom.
The supermarket was the larger of two businesses owned by the Chinese businessman, with the smaller branch located in St John’s.
It attracted customers with its relatively low costs on groceries and other goods.
Ping said that the business has reached out to locals to apply for jobs, along with some of their former employees who were either laid off or were working at the second branch.
XPZ consultant, Danley Phillip, said members of the public are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the supermarket.
“By and far, people are looking forward for XPZ to reopen again, twice the size of what it was before, because, in the other supermarkets, some of their prices are ridiculous.
“XPZ was the only supermarket that paid the farmers right on time when they came with their goods, so the farmers loved to come here because they knew they won’t have to come back next week, and I have spoken to some of the farmers and they are really looking forward to XPZ being back on board again,” Phillip argued.
