President Danny Faure welcomed the members of the Retailer’s Association for a meeting at State House today.

The members of the Association present for the meeting included the Chairman, Mr Kannusamy Naidu, the Secretary, Ms Louisianne Jacques, the Treasurer, Mr Shanmugam Pillay and members Ms Sharon Walter, Mr S. Arul Pragasen and Mr Ramesh Pillay.

President Faure congratulated the members for their recent appointment as members of the Association and highlighted his commitment and that of his government to work closely with them.

On behalf of the Association, the secretary, Ms Louisianne Jacques, thanked the President for receiving them at State House, and for giving them the opportunity to share with him the challenges affecting the retailers in Seychelles. She noted how the Association wished to establish structure and to work with the government as well as NGO’s. Ms Jacques expressed their wish to be involved when decisions on policies are made which involves retailers in Seychelles.

Pertinent matters raised by the Association included high costs for rental, bank charges for use of electronic card systems, taxation, exchange rates, difficulty to recruit Seychellois manpower, GOP procedures and issues of alcohol abuse, amongst other topics.

President Faure noted the points raised during this meeting, which will be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers for further discussions and action will be taken where necessary.

Speaking to the Press after the Meeting, Ms Jacques said that the newly elected members of the Association are determined to work and find solutions to issues raised concerning retailers in Seychelles and actions taken where necessary. She called on all partners in the country to partner with the Association and so that they can make a positive difference to the lives of the community.