Eastern Trading has been successfully operating from Vivéa Business Park, Moka, at the heart of the island, since 2014. We met with Stéphane Lenoir, General Manager, who went back on the firm’s reasons for the move.
Tell us about Eastern Trading…
Eastern Trading is a family business specializing in wine imports. It was founded in 1952 by my grandfather, and was taken up by my father after him. I joined Eastern Trading in 1988 and contributed to the development of its shops. Today, we own a total of five shops around the island, and have an employee count of 38. Our philosophy is to always provide our clients with the best quality wines, and to share our passion. Our inventory is comprised of about 300 wines, coming from France, South Africa, and all over the world.
Where were you based before Moka, and why did you chose to move?
We were based in Port Louis, on Sir William Newton Street – we still have a shop in this same location. Port Louis is a complicated location for a business, because of the lack of parking spaces and the constant traffic. These aspects, inherent to a capital city, made deliveries, both to and from our shops, difficult.
Why Moka?
We were looking for a new location in the island’s heights, and it so happened that Vivéa Business Park had something to offer. It was an old renovated stocking parlor. Moka is a city that is very accessible, and which is directly linked through a developed system of roads to most of the island’s regions – which was a major asset in terms of distribution. The region’s climate is also very profitable to activities such as ours. Even though our cave benefits from yearlong air-conditioning, the favorable temperatures allow for a good amount of energy saving.
What are the other assets this location has to offer?
Beyond the elements I’ve just mentioned, I think that being based in Vivéa Business Park is to associate one’s image to other well-established and reputable companies. Our commercial department has now been granted with larger office space and a more modern and attractive design that takes our clients right into Eastern Trading’s world.
What do your collaborators think of their new work environment?
A lot of us live in the heights, and the move has made commuting to work easier. I must also mention that our work environment is rather exceptional: we are surrounded by nature, vast expanses and parking spaces! The site is in constant growth and Vivéa will soon open a cafeteria, accessible to all the business park employees – an initiative that is sure to make lunch break more agreeable for all.
Any concluding remarks?
We are very lucky to be operating from Vivéa Business Park.
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