modern-day empire

Carpenters build a modern-day empire

WHEN Morris Hedstrom’s Suva main store burnt down during the week before Christmas last year, the news came as a shock to many people.

In the space of a few hours, one of the capital’s landmarks had been razed to the ground. What was left was only a shell of what had become the hub of Suva city.

For the Carpenters group, owners of Morris Hedstrom, rebuilding the store became a matter of priority. But it was also important that the new building retain its familiar structure but be modem enough to cater for the shopper in the 21st century. It was an ideal opportunity to start afresh.

The history and origins of Carpenters Fiji Limited date back to as early as 1921, and since then the Carpenters group of companies have established itself as the largest private sector enterprise in the Fiji Islands.

But more than that, the group is one of the few large international companies committed solely to investment in the Pacific, with just three employees based outside the region - one in London and two in Sydney. Carpenters Group chief execu tive, Kenneth Clemens says “overall Car penters employ some 6,500 people of whom approximately 1,800 are in Fiji, 4,500 in Papua New Guinea and some 200 in Tonga and Samoa.”

Far from hiding in the shadows of its Morris Hedstrom operation, the company is involved in a range of commercial activ ities involving most sectors of the econo my. Apart from the wholesale and retail trade with MHs, the company is also into automotive and heavy equipment trade,

ship repair services, manufacturing, ship

agency and allied services, property devel opment and large scale agricultural under

takings.

“Carpenters aim to be the market leader or one of the market leaders in each and every business in which it is involved,” Clemens says.

In Papua New Guinea, as well as operating motor vehicle and builders hardware distribution businesses, the company has the largest copra crushing mill in the Pacific, crushing up to 70,000 tonnes of copra annually, he says.

The company also owns and operates copra and cocoa plantations on the coast and tea and coffee estates in the high lands of PNG. Clemens says Carpenters “are far and above the largest tea pro ducer in Papua New guinea and one of the leading coffee producers.

Every month 50 or 60 containers of Carpenters agricultural exports leave Papua New Guinea ports for overseas markets as well as bulk tank ships loaded with coconut oil.” One of the areas that Carpenters has advanced in over the years is air freight forwarding.

Earlier this year, the company invested a further FJDSI million to expand its premises at Nadi International Airport in Fiji.

The expansion means that they now have a greater capacity to chill, store, de-consolidate and load export cargo, says Carpenters Shipping and Transport general manager, Shiri Ram.

“The growth of export industry means there is a great demand for, and limited airline cargo space available. In turn, facilities such as Carpenters Air freight’s warehouse are in high demand.

We have addressed that need by dou bling our capacity to accommodate the increasing volume of airline cargo,” he said.

Carpenters Airfreight Forwarding is an approved LATA agent. ■