Head of the Super Plus chain of supermarkets, Wayne Chen, is dismissing reports that the organisation is losing money because of a boycott initiated by disgruntled Cash Plus investors.
Since the fall of the alternative investment scheme, several angry investors have encouraged a ban on the supermarket. Several emails to this effect have also been circulated. The investors, who blame the commercial banks for Cash Plus' demise, say Chen, who is the chairman of the National Commercial Bank Insurance Company Limited, should be 'punished'.
One section of an email encouraging the boycott said, "In response to NCB's blatant and malicious action against Olint, World Wise and Cash Plus, let us as investors, who are most affected, show our support and solidarity with these institutions by closing all our NCB accounts and stop shopping at Super Plus. Let us give them a taste of their own medicine."
'Dem a fight poor people'
One investor, who has since stopped shopping at the chain, told THE STAR, "I am not giving them my money. Dem fight out di system dat was helping poor people and dem behaving like a dem alone mus have money."
When THE STAR visited a few of the supermarkets, some customers said they noticed a drop in the number of shoppers. Some shoppers in the Portmore Pines branch attributed this to the opening of newer supermarkets in the area, while others believed it was evidence that a boycott was in effect. One such customer told THE STAR, "I really notice that it is emptier in here and I think it does have something to do with the Cash Plus. People are upset and they are serious."
Receivership?
Some customers also complained about the appearance of the supermarkets, pointing to several shelves that were almost empty. When THE STAR visited the Liguanea branch, one customer was heard commenting to another, "No man, dem look like dem a go inna receivership. Dem nuh have nuttin in ya." The shopper was standing in the snack aisle, which had very little in stock.
Chen said he had heard the reports of the ban, but did not see the company's profits being affected by it. He said, "If it is [affecting our sales], it's not measurable. That is foolishness. I don't know where that is coming from. Why are we being tied to Cash Plus? Why are people who put their money in Cash Plus now blaming Super Plus for their demise?"
Of the complaints about understocked shelves, he said the company has "seven million dollars worth of goods in the inventory", and said that stocking a small amount of goods was deliberate in some instances. He added, "Some stores, like Portmore Pines, have a high turnover rate so they have a challenge keeping goods on the shelf. We at Super Plus are fine."