THE Trinidad-based, family-owned American Stores Limited situated at the corner of Regent Road and Cummings Street, Bourda opened its doors to serve the Guyanese people for the very first time yesterday.

The major promotion it held as part of its opening ceremony resulted in the names of 10 lucky winners being drawn from the more than 50,000 entries submitted via completed coupons countrywide in a bid to gain awesome prizes, which included a three-piece Santiago living room set, a SantinaDako refrigerator, two LED Magnum 32” television sets, and a four-burner Sapphire gas stove among other very attractive prizes.
“The coupons were distributed freely to any person who wanted to enter the promotion, and this was done without any requirement; no purchases were required,” explained General Manager of the American Stores, Mr Austill Ogle. He continued, “These coupons were distributed at several high profile areas around the city, included the City Mall, Nigel and Bounty Supermarkets, Republic Bank Guyana Ltd, and so on.”
The store opening became an event of entertainment and excitement, as several local artistes were invited to perform on a makeshift stage in front of the store, and that usually very busy corner was blocked by a large crowd that spilled over onto Regent Street, obstructing traffic for most of the afternoon. The crowd cheered and screamed as the new store’s name was unveiled, as the names of the winners were announced, and as the lineup of local artistes delivered classic entertainment.
Several local artistes performed at the opening ceremony including George Anthony Abrams, aka ‘Chiney’, famous for his song “Lime, Tomato, Celery, Seasoning’; Big Red; Prince JP; Brandon Harding, GT&T Jingle competition winner 2012; Granny Ivelaw, and the show stoppers, Times 2.
General Manager Austill Ogle said, “The Guyanese economy sparked an interest in the American Stores, so we saw this as a great investment opportunity. We would like Guyana to become one of our manufacturing hubs.”
He explained what benefits the presence of the American Stores would bring to Guyana when he said, “By making Guyana one of our manufacturing hubs, we will be creating jobs for the Guyanese population. With the two branches opened in Guyana alone, we have so far employed approximately 40 persons.”
Sharon Dwarka of Better Hope, East Coast Demerara won the first prize in the promotional opening – a three-piece Santiago living room set worth $180,000; while Asadie Swan of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo won the second prize, and Brian Griffith of Bent Street, Georgetown won the third prize.
So far, two branches of the American Stores have been established in Guyana, one on the corner of Regent Road and Cummings Street, and the other on Durban Street in Lodge. Guyana is the first country to have established a branch of the American Store as part of its regional expansion drive.
The American Stores has been in existence since 1950, meeting the needs of customers for quality furniture and appliances for over 60 years. The stores will be opened from Sunday to Sunday, operating at the regular hours of business to accommodate the holiday season.

( Tash Van Doimen)