FIJI. The Motibhai Group has geared up its Prouds retail stores to meet the requirements of the new Tourist VAT Refund Scheme, which will be operational from 1 February.
According to online newspaper Fijilive, under this scheme, tourists will be able to claim a refund on the VAT they pay on goods bought in Fiji.
From 1 February, the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority will operate two counters at Nadi International Airport and the Suva wharf where tourists can go to for refunds.
To qualify for a refund a tourist must spend FJ$500/US$266 (VAT inclusive) in any of the registered VAT refund outlets on the same day and must take the goods out of Fiji within two months from the date of purchase, Fijilive added.
The following Prouds outlets will be applicable for VAT refund upon implementation of the scheme next month: Prouds Suva Central; Prouds MHCC, Suva; Prouds Outrigger on the Lagoon Resort; Prouds Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort; Prouds Sigatoka Downtown; Prouds Nadi Downtown; Prouds Sheraton Resort, Denarau; Prouds Westin Resort, Denarau; and Prouds Hilton Resort, Denarau.
In addition, all Prouds staff will take part in workshop organised by FIRCA in a bid to provide top level service to customers.
“These long overdue initiatives will now enable tourism shopping in Fiji to be in line with Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, we will become internationally competitive,” said Motibhai Group Chairman and CEO Mahendra Motibhai Patel.
The new scheme marks a positive start to 2010 for Motibhai Group, which enjoyed “unprecedented growth and development” in the first ten years of the new millennium, Patel said.
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The Motibhai Group was profiled in the October/November 2008 issue of The Moodie Report Digital Print Edition |
Major highlights include:
• The development of Prouds Nadi Complex, its flagship store in the west
• The development of Landmark Building in Suva Central with the Prouds flagship store in the capital city
• The launch of the group’s successful carbonated soft drinks SPRINT
• The brand new look of the Prouds Store at the Sheraton Fiji Resort
• The development of the group’s Warehouse and Distribution Centre at its Suva Headquarters at Walubay, Suva
• The acquisition of a 15-acre greenfield site at Nadi International Airport for a future centralised management and distribution centre
• The award of catering concessions at Nadi Airport.
In 2010 the group will renovate the Prouds Store at the Shangri-La – The Fijian, and the Prouds Nadi Store and Prouds Suva Central will undergo changes to suit the needs of tourists.
The Nadi Airport Duty Free Store will also undergo a brand new fit out incorporating “the very best in physical and visual merchandising”, Patel said. New lines will be added according to customer demand, and existing agencies will be developed to full capacity.
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Online now: The Moodie Report Digital Print Edition for October 2008 – 26/10/08
