The Office Gurus to open shop in Jamaica
Published:Tuesday | July 31, 2018 | 12:00 AMSteven Jackson
The Office Gurus plans to enter Jamaica this year, according to market filings.
The company already operates regionally in El Salvador and Belize, but Jamaica would represent its first anglophone or English-speaking Caribbean market.
The Office Gurus is a subsidiary of American company Superior Group of Companies, formerly Superior Uniform Group. The group recently entered into business process outsourcing after nearly 100 years of supplying uniforms to over six million Americans.
"In the grand scheme of things, they would be a small to mid-sized player in Jamaica," said a Jampro representative knowledgeable about the investment but who requested anonymity to respect company protocol for disclosures to the public.
Jampro, the state agency with responsibility for marketing Jamaica to investors, indicates that the BPO sector now accounts for more than 31,000 jobs and generates value of over US$300 million.
The Office Gurus would be out the 60th BPO operation in Jamaica, and would likely set up shop in Kingston, the Jampro rep said.
The company did not disclose the estimated level of investment and Jampro avoided revealing such details when asked but indicated that it would represent a small to mid-sized BPO operation.
"They found already found a country manager. Now they are looking for a building from which to operate," the person said.
Last month, Superior Group reported quarterly sales of US$82.4 million and net income of US$3.8 million. Office Guru's sales amounted to US$6.8 million in the period.
Superior reported that since last year it completed three acquisitions in order to position its future growth for both net sales and earnings. The core uniform segments are operating with lower margins than anticipated, but its call centre services are operating at high margins, fuelled by new clients and expanding portfolios, the company said.
Superior operates a number of subsidiaries, including Fashion Seal Healthcare, HPI and CID Resources in the uniform segment; BAMKO, Tangerine Promotions and Public Identity, which make signature promotional products and branded merchandise; and The Office Gurus. The uniform company was founded in 1920.