BUSINESS BYTE: AC Shillingford redesigns with customer comfort in mind (with pictures and video)

General manager of  AC Shillingford and Company Limited, Dexter Ducreay, is assuring the general public that despite the upgrade to their main branch on Great George the V street, the prices will remain the same.

On Monday morning, following a three-week closure, the company reopened its doors to their customers, who were welcomed to the lighter, brighter and easier-to-shop footprint that includes new décor and an enhanced shopping environment.

“As we continue to focus on becoming one of the leading supermarkets, and a go-to source in Dominica, it was important that our stores reflected and reinforced our mission of providing quality products at the same great price” Ducreay told Dominica News Online (DNO).

Among the many changes are improved flooring and refrigeration, air conditioning, wider shopping aisles, a mini over the counter pharmacy and soon to come, Wi-Fi.

The general manager pointed out that customer comfort was among their top priority during the redesign process.

“Our prices are good already so what we want to do is to ensure that the customers are comfortable; that’s what we are trying to achieve. Therefore, we’ve tried to make it as spacious as possible because we want to increase the customer experience.

Ducreay revealed that further upgrades similar to what was done at the High Street location and the main branch, will be done at the Porttersville supermarket, to boost their customer experience.

Sharing their feedback with DNO, several avid shoppers of AC Shillingford such as Geroge Leblanc, Antoniette Harry, Chem Bellot and Harrigan Denis all expressed their delight with the upgrade.

“Before it was a bit tight moving around the store but now as you can see, we’re free to walk around as we please without bouncing into each other, which is really timely now that we have this COVID,” one of the shoppers remarked.

The company, which is one of Dominica’s longest-serving businesses, began as a drugstore in 1908 under the proprietorship of Mr. Arthur Shillingford. Through the years, the company has earned the moniker, “The Phoenix” because of its propensity to rise back up despite the disastrous winds of nature and financial turbulence.

Today, A. C. Shillingford operates three busy supermarkets in and outside of Roseau and one gas station. The company is also in the shipping business, as an agent for King Ocean Services (an importer of goods, mostly, from the U.S.), and as an agent for New India Assurance Co. Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), Ltd., which provides all types of insurance for the people of Dominica

The building where the company’s present-day, the main office is located was first constructed in 1938 and housed a drugstore downstairs and an upstairs ballroom, where gentlemen could only enter wearing a tailored coat and tie. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mr. Shillingford owned both of those establishments, as well as some farming land. He was the first exporter from Dominica of bay oil (an extract of the bay tree used in perfume to hold the scent), and also exported lime juice to South Africa, Australia, and England.