PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – As a follow-up to our previous communication, we have continued to monitor the situation closely. It has become increasingly clear that the only effective way of ensuring the safety of you, our valued customers, and of our employees and the community at large, is to do our part to enforce and encourage social distancing. It has been widely agreed that it is only with effective social distancing that the spread of the coronavirus can be stopped, and we can begin to look forward to a return to normalcy in our everyday activities. In the meanwhile, we have taken the decision to close all of our stores across all brands for a two-week period – from tomorrow, March 17th, until the end of the month, March 31st. Although we hope to re-open our doors on April 1st, we cannot make any commitments at this stage, and will provide updates as the situation develops.
Our first priority is, and always has been, the well-being of our people. With this in mind, we have made the decision to compensate our staff in full for this two-week period. There will be no reduction in salaries so that they can continue to manage their everyday needs as we all take some time away from the business, and focus on the well-being of our families and loved ones. This will pass, and it is our hope that others will similarly follow suit for the good of the community at large.
Stay positive, have faith, and know that your health and well-being are our number one priority.
