Gorham's boss sees job cuts as a sign of the times

Andrew MacKay, general manager, said they were only provisional employees hired before Christmas in the hopes that sales would pick up.

But he said it was a sign of the times for Bermuda: “We really hope that people realize how important a job is now — the glory days are gone. Bermuda hasn’t seen anything like what’s coming through the pipeline.”

With regard to Gorham’s, Mr. McKay said: “We’re reformatting the store to make it more efficient. We had hired additional people prior to Christmas… We had hoped Christmas would be much better… but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. We’re just trying to stay competitive.”

He said originally four people were going to be let go, but the store had a change of heart and kept two.

“We decided to try a different procedure around here and keep them on for another three months in the hope that the new area they are working is beneficial to the company. But we’ve told them if that procedure doesn’t pan out or doesn’t prove to be as efficient as we need, be prepared because it’s all a numbers game at the end of the day.”

Mr. MacKay said Gorham’s reduced its cash discount on Thursdays from 15 per cent to 10 per cent: “We did it to be able to keep the lights on.”

The job losses at the hardware store follows other recent redundancies and business closures at Conyers Dill & Pearman (13 people), Allied World (at least 15 people), Bermuda Press (14 people), Saltus Grammar School (eight people) Furniture Flair (three people), Butterfield Fulcrum (10 people), HomeZone (14 people), Bermuda Telephone Company (around 25 people) and ACE (17 people).