Another international business company is looking to expand its operations in Barbados.
This time, it is clothing giant, Gildan Activewear, the Canadian company which is known internationally for producing apparel including t-shirts and underwear.
Gildan, which started its operations locally in 1999 with six employees, has significantly grown, now with more than 160 employees, most of whom are Barbadian. Effective January 1, 2018 the company formed its printwear and branded apparel business into one structure based in Barbados.
According to the company's vice-president, corporate marketing and communications Garry Belle, "The consolidation process is underway and we have already transitioned some of the functional areas to Barbados. This process will keep proceeding over the next few weeks but we do anticipate the creation of incremental employment in Barbados as a consequence of this consolidation.
Plans are in progress to construct a new building at the company's base in Newton, Christ Church. Mr. Belle further indicated, "We are... planning on constructing another building on the Newton grounds located close to the highway. We anticipate this additional location will allow us to continue to grow along with our global business and remains another example of Gildan investing."
Gildan owns and operates vertically integrated, large scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America and the Caribbean Basin to efficiently service the replenishment needs of its customers in the printwear and retail markets. Gildan has over 37,000 employees worldwide and is committed to industry-leading labour and environmental practices in all of its facilities.
Their corporate head office is located in Montreal, Canada and shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
Adapted from the Barbados Business Authority
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