77.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsColombian Emeralds: St. Thomas Stores ‘Not Profitable’

Colombian Emeralds: St. Thomas Stores ‘Not Profitable’

Randi Milner, marketing manager for Colombian Emeralds, said the company closed its two stores on St. Thomas on April 30 because they were ‘not profitable.’ (See original story in Related Links below)

“Both locations were not performing to expectations,” she said in a phone call Friday, responding to earlier requests from the Source for comment.

Colombian Emeralds had closed the outlets several years ago and then reopened them two years ago. In the two years since then, she said, they have not been profitable.

“It was a business decision,” she said.

Echoing comments from some St. Thomas businessmen who blamed recent closures on the territory’s failure to upgrade the downtown commercial area, she said, “The environment just didn’t lend itself to a customer friendly situation.” She said the streets were not “kept up” and there was congestion from taxis.

Milner said she could not comment on whether the company might consider reopening again sometime in the future.

Colombian Emeralds is owned by Dufry Group and Cave Shepard, she said.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.