National Hardware yesterday opened its estimated $1 billion super centre at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, offering spacious specialty departments to shoppers.

The National Hardware Super Centre, situated on 120,000 square feet of land, at the former Lyson's building opposite Banks DIH is accessible from the Industrial Site access road.

Managing Director of National Hardware Edward Boyer, during a tour of centre yesterday, said he has linked with several regional, European and North American companies, to offer a wide variety of hardware products at the centre. Delta, Black & Decker, Stanley and Bosch are among the brands available at the super centre. "This is for Guyana," Boyer told the media, explaining that financing for the venture came from commercial banks and from the "Guyanese people". The theme throughout the centre is one of self service and all the items are displayed for full examination by the customer. Boyer said the aim of the super centre is to move into the do it yourself (DIY) arena and it will provide an improved shopping experience to customers, which is comparable with convenience stores overseas.

Boyer explained that as Guyanese travel they are exposed to homes with new designs, styles and fittings and the super centre addresses these emerging market trends.

Within the 120,000 square feet shopping area is the main shopping centre that caters to household items like toilet sets, carpets and mats; hardware items like power tools, paints, doors, generators, tiles; kitchen items like pots and pans; bedroom accessories like sheet sets and bedspreads among other items. There is also a Digicel store in this area. The upper flat of the main shopping area caters to indoor and outdoor furniture inclusive of tents, and bathroom fittings. Work is still to be done in this area, including the installation of air-conditioning.

A separate building offers appliances like refrigerators and television sets, windows and sliding doors. There is also a showroom for locally made products in this area, which is still undergoing display coordination. In addition, there is a three-storey bond in the complex to facilitate restocking. Apart from the bond, there are also three other storage facilities located in the Industrial Site. In all, Boyer said, including the shopping complex, bond and storage facilities, National Hardware takes up some 500,000 square feet.

Located at the back of the super centre is a manufacturing site, where zinc sheets are made. National Hardware also makes windows, steel rods, nails and locally produced thin sets for setting ceramic tiles on walls or floor. These thin sets are also exported to in the region.

Boyer has no doubt that he will increase his market share, despite a competing shopping complex in the vicinity. Not so far away is the Houston Shopping Complex, which is reportedly a $5 billion investment, operated by Gafsons Industries Ltd.

Local businesses will have to collaborate, Boyer said, to be able to survive in the light of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). He is of the view that as regional companies begin to move into Guyana through the CSME further pressure will be placed on the market share but if local companies collaborate and support each other they will withstand competition. But he feels that local businesses are not ready for the CSME.

Forty persons have been hired at the super centre so far. And Boyer, who also owns the National Hardware store in Water Street, hopes that between the two he will eventually employ 300 persons. The implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) was cited by Boyer as putting a strain on the availability of certain administrative staff like accountants and managers.

He explained that the private sector will have to be able to attract capable administrative staff by offering better packages. To this end, the super centre already boasts a spanking new administrative office. National Hardware is also working with the government to pave the access road in Industrial Site to the super centre; already the company has built a bridge to allow access to the super centre from the Industrial Site access road.