Rising from the ashes |09 January 2024
Businesses in Providence strive for recovery one month after tragedy
On the sombre one-month anniversary of the tragic explosion that shook Providence, Seychelles NATION delved into the recovering streets of the industrial estate, engaging with local business owners to understand their ongoing struggle to normalcy. The results, a nuanced mix of optimism and challenges, collectively echoed a sentiment that a full recovery is a journey that will take time.
A representative of the management at Coastal Hardware stated that since the explosion, the team was unable to work for approximately 13 days. He noted that when it came time to finding contacts to be able to do specific tasks, it was difficult to find the necessary people.
“When we started, we did not do too badly for December. We reduced prices on a lot of our products. However, since the end of December and the beginning of January, business has been extremely slow. There are various factors to this, including the fact that the building itself where the shop is located is rented. We are waiting for the owner of the building to find out his plan.”
Another reason is the location itself compared to the other businesses is not ideal. As it is, they are still deciding on what to do. The last resort which the representative stated is starting to look more likely despite not wanting to go through with it, is redundancy.
“If things do not ameliorate within the next month, we will have to find other ways to do our business. This may even include shrinking the business.”
However, on the positive side, he mentioned there are still a few clients who call, but apart from that, the reality is that it is not easy.
Another hindrance is the business cannot even advertise properly as people will only see a piece of plywood. “Our place needs to be fixed as fast as possible.”
Steve Morel, owner of Morel’s Trading, a shop of leather and all sorts, commented on the fact that since December 7, he has found things returning back to relative normalcy. He did note however that there may be one or two clients that still think Providence is not open for business.
“However, since today, our clients have contacted us directly and we are working really well with no issues,” he said positively. “I am sure that it will become even better in the future and things will pick up.”
While there may be a slight delay, Mr Morel stated that they can deal with it. He spoke about the fact that one of the reasons why he was able to get his business back up and running so fast was due to the beneficial conversation with the owner of the building. “If you can open, my advice is that you do so and then you can deal with everything else later. If you want your business to progress, you need to put your foot down to do things.”
Laurence Freslon of Bao Seychelles, a café/takeaway, explained that after December 7, there was a lot of work that needed to be done and so far they have been able to change all the windows and all the doors. “We cleaned everything for two weeks. We also opened very fast. Now we are waiting for all the QS experts and insurance to tell us what the next steps are. We need to provide at least two quotations and this is the worst part. This is due to the fact that everyone is busy and it will take a little while.”
She noted that the business was able to be up and in full operation due to the report being fast and given to the insurance company the same day that the disaster happened. “We went straight to the Chinese to also ask for quotations for the materials to be able to do this as fast as possible.”
As for how 2024 will go, Ms Freslon stated the year will reflect what happened as it is not over yet. They will have to close the business down again to be able to do proper refurbishments for the future. In addition, with everything else that is happening overseas with the constant wars and the blockage of the Red Sea, it will have a massive effect on the economy.
Sujaal Pillay, owner of Brake for a Break, commercial shop, said business was a little bit slow because all the offices and banks, which are the main things that the people come to, are closed. “Hopefully it will get better. If Providence functions like before and every business opens, then we will be fine.”
For Hubert Hoareau, owner of Inter Island Grill Takeaway, the December 7 explosion affected the business and changed things completely, including the way of thinking. “I understand that a large group of Seychellois got affected. At the same time, my problem is that businesses are not getting looked at. Politicians who go on TV say that we started a fund to help those who went through these disasters but only help the residential homes. What about the businesses?”
He emphasised that not all businesses have insurance and cannot rely solely on that for help. Following this, with the rising cost of living coming so soon after the disaster, Mr Hoareau said politicians are causing disruptions in the world to make the people fall into further disarray. “Not everything comes from the Red Sea, there are things which come from other countries. Even electricity is going up and what are we going to do with all these costs? Pass it unto the consumers? They will not come to look for food here.”
The business has also suffered a lot of clientele loss due to the fact that offices and banks have moved to other places, making Providence a former shell of what it was. He said sternly that it is time for politicians to get off their chairs and take action. “I appreciate the minister coming by and checking on things, we understand that certain things are outside their control, but we have to find a way, we cannot continue this way because it is not easy. My December has been ruined entirely.”
He added that all the businesses need to come together and demand to know who is responsible for the explosion.
Nichole Patel, mother of the owner of the party store, ‘Parties and More’, stated positively that the clients continued to come in December a few days after December 7, while they continued with their cleaning up. She conveyed that it will obviously not be like former years but the shop has done fine for itself ever since the disaster.
“The primary customer base where those who used to work in Providence but we received support from other clients because we have been here for ten years and they were loyal. Hopefully in 2024, we see better things. The last three years we have grappled with Covid and now the explosion has not been easy but hopefully 2024 will see a new Seychelles in a better world.”
In terms of how the shop managed to return to form so fast, Ms Patel explained that the moment they were given the go ahead to open, they called everyone that they knew, friends, clients and even contractors who all helped to clear out the debris. “We were able to remove things that were blocking the shop; that was the first thing we did.”
After doing only a few days of cleaning and boarding up, they resumed operations normally.
Ms Patel also made known that they had stock for Christmas which could only really be sold during the festive season and therefore they had to do something and not allow the stock to go to waste. “We had to do something, we stood up and worked really hard. Our hard work paid off.”
To conclude, she stressed that what happened was unfortunate but it is time to look past it and get on with it and work hard.
Seychelles NATION contacted the chief executive of the Industrial Estates Authority for an update on the situation a month after the disaster and was informed they will be providing information later during the week.
Text & photos by Sunny Esparon
