After an investment of six years and more than US$30M, the Giftland Mall at Turkeyen opened its doors to the public last evening.
According to the speakers at the opening, the new Giftland Mall is a testimony to the determination, commitment, persistence and sheer guts of President of Giftland Mall, Roy Beepat.
Each speaker recounted the way in which Beepat’s determination overruled their natural caution and fears about the risks involved in the project.
Rudy Collins, Director of Giftland’s Board recounted conversations he has had with Beepat over the last ten years during which Beepat spoke enthusiastically of the entertainment features that could be available to the Guyanese people at a Giftland Mall. According to Collins last evening’s opening is but one phase of Beepat’s visions. In fact the vision as shared by Beepat will “only be attained to his satisfaction when in answer to the question; what shall we do today? The inevitable response is let’s meet at the mall”, Collins noted.
Rubis Country Head and Director Ricardo Milford perhaps said it best when he told those gathered that they were there “to witness the launch of a fantastic dream, a dream of a man who willing, moved a grandiose idea from conversation to commitment an idea that necessitated courage, strength and without a doubt tenacity.”
Guyana’s first mega mall, he added, speaks volumes of what private capital can do to advance the economic and social wellbeing of the populace”.
His thoughts were echoed by Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin who after declaring that “Guyana means Business” reiterated his government’s commitment to making it easier for entrepreneurs to open and operate businesses in Guyana.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, performing the functions of President, declared that “Roy Beepat deserves all our support and gratitude… for this project proves that Guyanese and Guyanese businessmen can match up with the best anywhere in the world, it shows how far we can go if we bring together the efforts and the resources of Insurance companies, of banks, of business persons in other sectors. Outside of complexes like this if they can all pool their resources then complexes like Giftland can be possible not only in Georgetown but in other parts of Guyana.”
In his presentation before the ribbon cutting he also spoke of the new government’s contribution to the project; the road which leads to the complex…this road he said gave the Minister of Infrastructure great pleasure to pave as it, like all other roads to be built under the new government, “leads to jobs”.
Customers can access products at Giftland-branded stores throughout the complex specifically Sportsmaxx, Gifttronics and the Stationary store. Fifty-three per cent of the businesses were to be opened by this time though it is unclear if this target has been met. This was the first phase of a three-phase opening. The highlight of the ceremony was the simultaneous opening of Caribbean Cinemas located at the mall. The cinema has eight screens each of which measures 23×40 feet and the facility has the capacity to hold 1,270 persons. The cinema plans to have a diverse film programming that will cater to all sections of the population. Some of the films that will be shown are traditional Hollywood blockbusters, children films and dramas.
The movies that will be showing today are Insidious 3, Jurassic World 3D, Spy, Ted 2, Inside Out 3D and Terminator Genisys.
The diverse members of the public who were present for the opening were all impressed by the facilities.
“I’m impressed, this is on par with what I’ve seen overseas. I congratulate Beepat and team on their sheer guts in tackling a project like this. As we say in Guyana he got nuff belly” one patron, Sonia Basheer told Stabroek News.
Local singer Michelle ‘Big Red’ King is looking forward to singing one particular line, stating that she was “totally impressed” with the new mall. “I can now say to someone visiting let’s go to the mall. Let me take you to the mall”, she gushed.
Referring to Beepat’s expressed intention to turn the section of the mall used for the opening ceremony into an entertainment strip, she noted “I also believe it will have a great impact on the field of entertainment as it is creating jobs for everyone in every area.”
Georgetown Councillor Ian Andrew feels that the mall is more than impressive. For him it is one of the greatest things to happen to Georgetown and Guyana.
Joseph Holder, noted designer of the Demerara Habour Bridge is impressed with this project. For him such a project where a developer foregoes engaging a contractor and instead hires workers supervising the construction himself is rare in the Guyanese private sector. “This approach offers more flexibility especially for a project like this mall whose design underwent several changes. It is very interesting to see something like this being done on this scale and in this way.”
This project was realized through a multi-national financial cooperation involving banks, insurance companies and private investors. John Tracey, CEO of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) explained that his organization was one of the first to become involved in the project. In fact GBTI led a syndicate which included Citizens Bank and Hand in Hand Insurance Company to raise the first funding for this project. Citizens Bank later pulled out of the project which is now funded by a consortium made up of GBTI, Hand in Hand Insurance Company, Suriname’s Assuria Insurance Company and First Citizens Bank of Trinidad. The Trinidadian First Citizen’s Bank, according to General Manager Corporate Banking of First Citizens, Brian Woo owns 60% of the debt incurred by Giftland in building the new mall. Woo however assured Stabroek News that this amount is only a portion of the overall cost of the project as most of project was completed using capital secured by Beepat.
