Andrea Downer, Gleaner Writer
Boarded up windows and doors of the McDonald's Ironshore branch, in Montego Bay. The franchise closed its doors to the Jamaican public recently. - CLAUDINE HOUSEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
WANT A a diesel generator and the furniture and equipment to start your own restaurant?
Fast-food chain, McDonald's, is now auctioning fixtures and equipment from its locations across the island as the company prepares to leave the Jamaican market.
McDonald's hopes to off-load the items in four public auctions from six of its locations between Monday this week and next week Monday.
Two auctions have been held already this week and a third is scheduled for next week Thursday at its location at Breaton Cross Roads in Greater Portmore, St. Catherine.
The final auction should be held at its distribution centre on Molynes Road on Monday, November 7.
A mobile restaurant, which was recently placed in St. Ann, has also been put up for sale.
The company announced a few weeks ago that it would be pulling out of Jamaica, as it was no longer profitable to remain here.
McDonald's ran into difficulty as far back as 2000, when plans for aggressive expansion had to be suspended because of difficult operating conditions.
McDonald's Jamaica was run by Three Rivers Management, which was controlled and operated by Patricia Issacs-Green until she relinquished her stake in the franchise and stepped down as managing director last year. The business held a franchise from the McDonald's multi-national company.
At its peak, McDonald's Jamaica operated 12 stores, and there were plans to add 15 more.
Ms. Issacs-Green told The Gleaner in a previous interview that McDonald's did not serve alcohol or the classic Jamaican dishes.
She said the first few restaurants were difficult to set up as the company learned to deal with local suppliers.
Then the economy got into difficulties in 2000, affecting the purchasing power of McDonald's target customers. In response, Three Rivers started cutting costs and scaling down the operations in an attempt to survive.
Four years later, Three Rivers was unable to shoulder the burden any longer.
