Prouds Duty Free: Port Moresby warehouse fire will “test business resilience”

ASIA PACIFIC. Prouds Duty Free has said that a recent fire that destroyed its main warehouse in Papua New Guinea will “test its business resilience,” but has pledged to bounce back from the disaster.

The fire began on Sunday 18 June and destroyed the Prouds warehouse in Gerehu, Port Moresby. The Fiji-based company said it was still trying to come to terms with the incident. It took place almost two years after Prouds opened its duty free stores at Port Moresby Jacksons International Airport to serve the Papua New Guinea market.

“While we are happy with our achievements for the past two years, this very unfortunate fire incident has yet once again tested our business resilience,” Prouds Director Tejash Patel said. Patel said the company will “rebuild from scratch” and noted that the management and staff of Prouds in Papua New Guinea are “very optimistic” about the future.

Prouds PNG at Jacksons International Airport: The company’s second anniversary at the location has been marred by a warehouse fire

The company said that the two years since it opened its departures and arrivals stores in Port Moresby had been “exciting and challenging”.

Prouds PNG Manager Kiran Rathod said: “The timing of our official opening in 2015 coincided with the launching of the Pacific Games, which PNG hosted. It was a great way to start business in the fastest growing Pacific nation.”

He says Prouds was “well positioned” to provide a value-for-money shopping experience for travellers, offering a range of international brands.

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