Update On Super Pola Construction

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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From today's Sosua News:


On July 9, 2012 we reported that the department store chain, of which 'La Sirena' is part of, had bought a piece of land at the Gregorio Luper?n road just past the entrance to Sos?a.

In October 2013 they started to prepare the site for the construction. It will not be a new department store like La Sirena in Puerto Plata, but a wholesale Super Pola affiliated with La Sirena. After a short break from work for a week when huge caverns were discovered beneath the plot the work continued energetically again. Since two weeks, we see that a floor has been laid and a metal building frame is mounted. They even have been working a few times on Sundays so they are speeding up the construction of the Super Pola. The supervisor told us that the building can be completed around August. In September, if all goes well, follows the grand opening.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Since it is officially a "wholesale Super Pola" what does that mean to the average shopper?
Are there other "wholesale Super Polas" already open in the DR?
 

cjp2010

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Mar 25, 2013
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A friend of mine lives right behind there (unlucky for him now with the noise). I was visiting one day a couple of months ago and got to ask some questions. The idea is that yes it is going to be something like a Costco where you will buy in bulk and get a better price. Doesn't make sense for the average Dominican shopper, but it is in El Batey so the gringos around Sosua may benefit from it. But we'll all have to wait and see what products they will have and how low the prices really will be. I wouldn't hold my breathe on it finishing by September. This is the same group that originally said they were targeting Christmas of 2013 I think and then it got pushed back to April 2014 and now after they had a one to two week delay in their construction it is back to September. My guess is it will be open by Christmas 2015.
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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I still don't believe this will be a "Wholesale Club". I get the idea...there have been so many rumors about a Walmart-Grupo Ramos connection and Wlamsrt has Sam's Club to compete with Costco (PriceSmart), but you would think they would launch this model in SD or Santiago...I know, I know...I'm trying to interject logic into a DR business decision...

I think there may be something lost in the translation and this store will be a Super Pola (supermarket only) vs. La Sirena (department store). Either way, it will certainly be a welcome addition to the area!
 

Ken

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An alternative to Playero, would be a good thing

Go to Puerto Plata.

Two big supermarkets in this area at this time makes no sense. The profit margin of a supermarket is only about 3%. There is not enough business in this area at this time to support two large supermarkets going head to head.

La Sirena people know what they are doing.
 

Bob K

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Aug 16, 2004
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Since Playero's prices are already 5-10% higher than everyone else their profit margin has to be higher. Maybe some completion will have some influence on them. If not they will suffer.

Bob K
 

Ken

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Since Playero's prices are already 5-10% higher than everyone else their profit margin has to be higher. Maybe some completion will have some influence on them. If not they will suffer.

Bob K

I've had people who shop around a lot tell me generalizations like that are baloney. They say you can find higher and lower prices in all of them.

Since they don't seem to have any axes to grind, I think what they say makes a lot of sense.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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haven't we already had the "Playero vs Janet's" discussion/price comparison?

isn't this thread about the progress of the construction - and perhaps what kind of store it will be?