R B Patel opened its vast new Centerpoint Supermarket at Laucala Beach Estate, described as second to none in Fiji, with space for 140 cars and 10 shops.
The Fiji Times reported on Sunday, May 11, 1986, that it was as if a city had moved out to the suburbs.
The new complex included a 30,000sq foot supermarket, the largest in Fiji at the time, a 35,000sq foot bulk warehouse, 10 specialty shops, a children’s playground and parking for 140 cars.
Ambu Patel, the manager of Centerpoint at that time, said he had studied overseas designs to plan the store.
“I spent many hours overseas researching the best points of supermarkets and hypermarkets available and used that information to design the new supermarket,” he said
He said the wide aisles were designed to avoid crowding.
“The aisles were wide enough to accommodate three trolleys abreast without causing the traffic jams common in most other supermarkets.”
He said more services were planned for the complex.
“We were also going to have a hairdresser, a pharmacist, a doctor, a butcher and a greengrocer.”
He said the store would also compete on price.
“RB’s promised to undercut any competitor’s advertised price to remain the cheapest around.”
Centerpoint marked a new era of suburban shopping in Fiji in the 1980s, and offered size, variety, and modern facilities to make retail more convenient for Lautoka families.
