MEGA BLOW
MegaMart to close Melissa-ravaged MoBay store after ‘total loss’
Published:Thursday | November 20, 2025 | 12:10 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
MegaMart Wholesale Club is to permanenty close its largest store – located in Montego Bay, St James – after suffering catastrophic flood damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The closure brings to an end 18 years of operation of one of the Second City’s largest retail anchors, leaving 165 employees without jobs.
Chief Operations Officer Sachin Gupte said the Catherine Hall-based superstore was overwhelmed by an unprecedented surge of water that reached seven to eight feet inside the 75,000-square-foot building, destroying all equipment, technology systems, and merchandise.
Built at a cost of US$20 million (J$1.3 billion) and opened in 2007, MegaMart sits at the heart of Catherine Hall, one of the communities worst affected by the flooding that devastated the western city on October 28. Catherine Hall and neighbouring Westgreen were battered by raging currents after the Barnett, Pye and Montego rivers overflowed, sending a violent rush of water through homes, businesses and roadways.
Residents described water rising with shocking speed, swallowing vehicles and tearing through ground floors in parts of Westgreen Meadows. The supermarket’s destruction became one of the clearest indicators of just how powerful the floodwaters were.
“No one expected a flood of that magnitude in that area,” Gupte said. “It wasn’t wind damage; it was a wall of water.”
Gupte said restarting operations would be equivalent to constructing a completely new supermarket from scratch. While insurance will cover some losses, he emphasised that the physical process of rebuilding is the greater obstacle.
“Insurance is only money,” he said. “Rebuilding requires planning, people, redesigning and execution. To restart would take months, if not years. With the level of devastation, it is near impossible.”
The city’s labour shortage has worsened the challenge. According to Gupte, basic clean-up work has been delayed because so many residents and businesses across Montego Bay are in urgent need of assistance.
Gupte said the company held a difficult meeting with staff last week to inform them of the closure. Many employees have been with MegaMart for 15 to 20 years, including some who worked on the store’s construction and opening.
“The store manager has been with us for almost two decades. On the day of the meeting, he could barely speak,” Gupte recalled. “Some people were in tears. Every one of us is emotionally affected.”
MegaMart will continue paying staff through to the end of November. Employees were also offered on-site medical check-ups for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, as well as relief clothing and supplies to help cushion the blow.
Representatives from other MegaMart branches, including Mandeville, attended the meeting to invite workers to apply for transfers. Several supermarkets and smaller shops reopening in and around Montego Bay have also contacted MegaMart, seeking to hire displaced workers, and the company has begun sharing the names and phone numbers of those who may need jobs.
MegaMart’s neighbours – Island Grill, Alcor Windows and Doors, and Jamaica National – remain closed three weeks after the hurricane. Both Island Grill and Alcor suffered severe damage from the Category 5 storm.
Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Jason Russell said the closure is another major blow to western Jamaica as it struggles to recover from Melissa.
“It’s a great loss to the community,” Russell said. “MegaMart was one of the first mega stores in Montego Bay, and employing over 160 people means the impact will be significant. A lot of families depended on it.”
Some residents have raised concerns about whether Catherine Hall is now too risky for major investments, but Russell cautioned against labelling the area unsafe.
“The last flooding of that magnitude happened before I was born,” he said. “We need proper maintenance of rivers and drains, and we must treat emergencies with seriousness. But to say the area is suddenly dangerous is not accurate. In business, things happen, you get hit, you get hurt. That doesn’t mean you give up on the area.”
Russell said this one hurts. He noted that the chamber has been checking on businesses across Montego Bay, and while some are making slow progress, many remain far from reopening.
“This is just the first major closure,” he said. “We pray it’s not the start of more.”