Charlie Hyde, Country Manager of PriceSmart in Jamaica will be answering your questions on Go-Jamaica Chat on May 14, 2003 at 6pm (EST).

He is the latest Go-Jamaica guest to participate in the hottest series of interactive discussions to hit the bandwidth since 2000.

Charlie Hyde joined Price Club in 1981 and began by pushing trolleys. Over the years he has held a variety of management positions. In 1999 Charlie began working with PriceSmart in Zapote, Costa Rico and for the last two years he has been instrumental in opening stories in Trinidad, Aruba, St. Thomas and Barbados.

PriceSmart opened its doors to the Jamaican public on Friday, March 28, 2003 at 111 Red Hills Road, Kingston. The store is a 50,000 square foot facility. It also boasts a line item range of more than 3,000 products including fresh produce and meats to home furnishings, and tyres.

Since its launch more than 8,000 persons have become members and they expect to have much more by the end of the year. Membership fee is US$20. It currently employs over 100 persons.

This is the 30th branch for PriceSmart.

PriceSmart Warehouse Shopping warehouses are named in honor of Sol and Robert Price, the pioneers of the mass-merchandising concept.

Sol Price created the discount store industry in the United States by launching FedMart in 1954. Then in 1976, Sol and Robert Price developed the club-merchandising concept and founded Price Club, where member-customers could take advantage of high volume, low-cost operations to obtain the best possible prices on a wide array of merchandise.

Log on and ask him questions about:
· Why was Jamaica chosen as destination for PriceSmart?
· What value does he think Jamaican consumers are deriving from having PriceSmart in Kingston?
· What effect will the 2003 budget have on the business?
· Can people rise through the ranks like you at PriceSmart or was that a bygone age?
· Has crime or violence in the area had an impact on the business to date?
· What is the success story behind PriceSmart?
· Will the mass merchandising concept work in Jamaica?
· Is the company here to stay in Jamaica? Join chat now