Construction
Construction
SOUTHERN ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATING BETTER BUSINESS
Every building needs electrical cables, lighting, and appliances of all shapes and sizes. In Grenada these items, and many more, are provided with a five-star flourish by a company called Southern Electrical Co Ltd.
Located on Dusty Highway, Southern Electrical is a business that provides electrical appliances and fittings, as well as all the different types of electrical cables that are generally hidden from view. It is where professional electricians and DIY enthusiasts in Grenada shop, along with those who may only want a well-priced light bulb or perhaps an efficient fan.
To understand a little more about this provider of all things electrical, Business Grenada spoke with General Manager Emmanuel Duncan Jr at Southern Electrical’ s well-stocked and warehouse-sized premises.
Southern Electrical is a family-run business and was created in 1996 by Emmanuel Duncan Sr, who had been an electrician and had worked in Grenada for a company with headquarters in Trinidad that manufactured electrical accessories. They found that competition with American and European markets meant that the manufacturing aspect became unviable and his employers moved towards retailing electrical products, such as wire, sockets, and other necessary items. Emmanuel Sr felt that his employers weren’ t optimising the new approach to the business and so, along with his two sons and a staff member named Teresa Antoine— who still works here— in 1996 he left and created Southern Electrical. This meant he could deliver the level of service and quality of products that he would have wanted to buy were he still a hardworking electrician. The business name is derived simply because it is based in the south of the island and specialises in electrical items.
‘ For the first two years he rented a property provided by the GIDC, which is one of the ways that organisation helped my father to get up and running very quickly’, Emmanuel Jr says.“ They were flexible in terms of the space and the rent was below market price, so he was able to build the business more quickly”, he adds. Over his working life, Emmanuel Sr had built up a good relationship with many of the businesses that supply goods to Grenada. This meant that he was able to quickly establish credit terms and take delivery of his first shipment of good quality products, which he sold rapidly to eager and grateful electricians, contractors, and DIY enthusiasts. Cables and copper aren’ t cheap, nor is the cost of freight and import duties, and the price of merchandising and also of employing staff makes this an expensive venture. It is a real testament to Emmanuel Sr’ s character that the suppliers were willing to support a new business in this way. Once he had processed a few shipments he was also able to establish credit terms with the banks, which meant he could expand.
In 1998, with a vision of a hardware store firmly in his mind, Emmanuel Sr committed to the risk of using all his
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