Susan Gordon, Business Reporter

Dennis Hickey, marketing manager of COK Credit Union, says parking at the Hope Road location was inadequate to serve members. - file

COK credit Union, having disposed of its property at the edge of Half-Way Tree square, is moving the branch it housed to the Winchester Business Centre, which sits a stone's throw away at the corner of Winchester and Hope roads, St. Andrew.

The branch opens for business at the new location on Monday, solving some of the issues with parking that were becoming a constraint on the credit union's business.

"We bought two shops in the Winchester Centre," marketing manager Dennis Hickey told Wednesday Business.

COK paid $40 million for units nine and 10 in the business complex, said Hickey.

COK sold the 8 Hope Road property for US$250,000 (approximately J$17 million) Wednesday Business understands, during the period that Winchester was under construction by Life of Jamaica Limited.

The proceeds helped offset the cost of the new acquisitions, according to Hickey.

Rented parking space

Hickey said parking facilities at the Hope Road location had been inadequate for an organisation with a membership base of 208,000 across its network and had become a security risk.

"The building was tight," said Hickey. "Parking was rented from Bethel, so some members had to walk to the branch and it exposed them to other risks," he added.

Bethel is the Baptist church which sits adjacent to the credit union branch.

To maintain visibility inside the large business complex, Hickey said the COK logo would be strategically placed to be in the line of sight from the street.

"The units are end units and will still be visible from the main road," he said.

susan.gordon@gleanerjm.com