St Helena Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is one of the few remaining untouched destinations left in the world. Until recently, the remote tropical British territory had only been accessible by ship, with commercial flights starting only in 2017. Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc or “Solomons” as the company is known locally, has played an important role in the island’s life and development, becoming a household name for its inhabitants.
The company was founded in 1790 by Saul Solomon as a sole trader who commenced his enterprise with a general store and boarding house, later adding insurance services to his growing list of business ventures. At that time, St Helena was a hub of the transatlantic trade, with over 1000 ships visiting her docks annually, and a swelling population of over 8000.
Today, Solomons operates a diverse portfolio of businesses ranging through procurement, wholesale and retail, shipping & travel, production (including bakery, cattle, pigs, and coffee), small-scale construction (building and electrical), insurance and agency services (including support to airport operations, stevedoring and fuels management), general administration and IT services.
“In a small island community, the volume of customers in each area of our business portfolio may be small, however, the diversity of the company is wide-ranging,” says CEO Mandy Peters. Reflecting on the company’s unique selling point, she remarks that it is primarily the brand, and the fact that the company is so well established in St Helena, it has become a household name.
Blessing and Curse
Still, challenges are plentiful, she admits, such as the development of a customer base which can sustain commercial entities – at the end of April 2022, the official statistics for St Helena recorded a population of just 4199, a decline of 4.7% on the prior year.
“The second major challenge is our logistics with regard to our location, the latter being our blessing and our curse. A blessing for the getaway visitor, providing an ideal location for rest and recuperation, to detox from the noise of life and connect strongly and immediately with nature in a way that has to be experienced to be understood. And a curse with regard to the difficulty of access.”
“St Helena produces very little on the island and virtually everything its inhabitants consume must be imported, with the island served for its cargo needs by a single sea voyage a month and with goods requiring to be transhipped to forwarding agents in Cape Town from the United Kingdom or other locations.”
Needless to say, the pandemic-related restrictions affected the island significantly. Since 2017, when the island saw the first commercial flight following the opening of St Helena Airport, the island has aspired to a commercial tourism economy. This development was interrupted by the pandemic – the island remained effectively closed to commercial travel until Covid-19 quarantine restrictions were lifted in August 2022.
Resilience and Perseverance
“Although St Helena is a difficult environment to operate in, historically we have stood the test of time, associating ourselves strongly with our values – People Count, Service Matters, Integrity Always,” affirms Miss Peters.
“We have to be resourceful. Though this is an over-used adjective in St Helena due to our isolation, it personifies any success here, coupled with resilience and perseverance. Our company purpose is “Serving our customers through sustainable business, for the benefit of our company and island.”
She points out that fulfilling this purpose, in the face of persisting challenges, has been the company’s greatest success. “To meet our customers’ needs we have to forward plan around logistics, to develop networks and to be innovative when logistics throw us curve balls.”
“We value our local market highly. Although we aspire to the development of a tourism economy, it is our local customers who have supported and sustained us through the years. We have developed our business interests through serving our local community to the best of our ability despite difficult times.”
For the People by the People
Solomons has a workforce of approximately 250 employees, mostly recruited locally, and in line with the company values, people are regarded as the core asset, says Miss Peters. “ We aim to offer the most competitive terms of employment we can afford in the local market, taking a holistic approach to supporting and caring for our employees.”
“In our small community, our employees are acutely attuned to events and activities that occur on the island and there is a strong sense of awareness of the needs of the community in which we operate and which we strive to support.”
Solomons invests in human resources training and development, fosters opportunities for internal promotion across its diverse business interests and conducts annual assessments to continuously improve employee engagement and happiness.
Solomons also sponsors local charities, more recently focusing on two prime areas – sport and health. This includes supporting teams to compete in international sporting events and being an active participant in the island’s Cancer Support & Awareness Group. The company also supports local small-scale farmers by making the company’s land assets available for lease to promote local agricultural production.
Set to Continue the Legacy
Speaking about the current situation, Miss Peters admits that the economic decline in St Helena has meant that the company has been largely in survival mode in recent years. “However, it is imperative for the growth and development of the Company that we are able to retain key skills on the island and attract people to work and live in St Helena.”
“The reinstatement of com-mercial flights, even though currently only at one flight a week and the implementation of a fibre-optic cable network in St Helena expected next year; provide a platform for transitioning out of our survival mode in the future.”
She points out that the company’s history is a test-ament to its will to survive, and Solomons will strive to maintain a positive presence in St Helena, continuing the legacy of Saul Solomon.
In conclusion, she affirms that increased incoming traffic is what the island needs most. “Come and see us, come and invest with us, come and live and work with us – we believe we offer something unique in St Helena, but you need to see it, to experience it for yourself – we will welcome you.”
