RiteWay Cannibalising Market
Talk show host Claude Skelton Cline has accused RiteWay, its parent The North West Company and other large firms of 'cannibalising' the BVI economy by operating across wholesale and retail markets and squeezing local businesses. He urged all 13 elected representatives to introduce antitrust legislation, saying successive governments have failed to protect consumers and small entrepreneurs.
Outspoken radio host Claude Skelton Cline has accused RiteWay, its Canadian parent The North West Company, and several other large firms of monopolistic behaviour that he says is 'cannibalising' the British Virgin Islands market. Speaking on his Honestly Speaking radio show, Skelton Cline argued the absence of antitrust or competition laws in the BVI has allowed major corporations to dominate both wholesale and retail sectors, driving up costs and pushing locally owned shops out of business.
He pointed to The North West Company’s 2017 acquisition of a majority stake in the RiteWay supermarket chain as an example of a company operating across supply and retail chains. "They are cannibalising the market," Skelton Cline said. "It is legal, but it is immoral; it is legal, but it's unethical." He alleged that dominant firms secure exclusive distribution rights for popular brands, leaving smaller retailers forced to buy products at prices set by competitors and then compete against those same competitors on the shop floor. "You have to buy from them and then compete against them in the same market," he said. "They wipe out the small and middle mom-and-pop shops." Skelton Cline broadened his criticism beyond groceries, accusing Caribbean Cellars of dominating alcohol distribution while also operating in retail, and naming fuel companies SOL, Delta and Sunoco as representing a concentrated ownership structure in the fuel sector.
He said similar patterns exist in the insurance market. He rejected the argument that multinational entry has produced meaningful consumer price savings, saying residents have yet to see promised benefits. He also warned that overseas corporations are expanding into new sectors — noting an attempt by RiteWay to enter the lumber trade — a move he said local figures, including Clarence Thomas, have opposed.
Skelton Cline placed responsibility with successive governments, arguing licences are issued by the state and that elected officials have the power to act. He urged all 13 elected representatives to introduce antitrust legislation to curb what he described as growing dominance by multinationals and to preserve opportunities for Virgin Islanders to own and grow businesses.
For BVI residents, the debate raises familiar concerns: a small, import-dependent market can be vulnerable to firms that control both supply and retail channels, which may squeeze margins for local retailers and limit consumer choice. Any move toward competition law would require careful design to fit the territory’s size and trading patterns while balancing consumer protection, investment and local entrepreneurship.
Primary source: BVI News