Berger Paints Barbados closure sparks CARICOM trade debate

ANSA McAL is shutting down its Berger Paints Barbados manufacturing plant, warehouse, Colour Shops, and offices on April 24, 2026, blaming the impact of Article 164 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas for undermining the long-term viability of local operations.

ANSA McAL announced it is winding down all manufacturing and site operations of its Berger Paints Barbados Limited subsidiary, with complete closure set for April 24, 2026. The shutdown covers the plant, warehouse, Colour Shops, and administrative offices at Exmouth Gap, Brandons, St Michael. The company cited sustained changes in the operating environment and specifically the impact of Article 164 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas as the reason for the closure. Berger products will continue to be manufactured within the Caribbean region and distributed in Barbados through selected partners, including Carters (via Blades and Williams) and Ace H&B Hardware. A formal employee consultation process is scheduled to begin next week.

The closure eliminates a manufacturing operation in Barbados, directly impacting workers and their families while raising broader concerns about the viability of manufacturing in more developed CARICOM states. The explicit naming of Article 164 as a cause signals that regional trade rules are having tangible consequences on investment decisions by major conglomerates.

"Berger Paints Barbados is 100 per cent owned by ANSA McAL, and the group cited the impact of Article 164 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas as a key factor affecting the long-term viability of local manufacturing operations."

— ANSA McAL 2024 annual report and company news release

Corporate pragmatism: ANSA McAL frames the closure as a necessary business decision driven by sustained changes in the operating environment. The group has committed to a fair transition for employees and says it will maintain the Berger brand in Barbados through a new distribution model with local partners.

Worker and community concern: Staff arrived at the Exmouth Gap plant to find it already closed, directed only to contact a representative. The sudden nature of the shutdown underscores the vulnerability of workers in regional manufacturing, with formal consultations not yet begun.

Regional trade policy tension: The explicit citation of Article 164 places the spotlight squarely on CARICOM's trade architecture. The provision, designed to protect less developed countries, is now being identified as a factor that undermines manufacturing viability in more developed member states like Barbados.

"This action has become necessary due to sustained changes in the operating environment, including the impact of Article 164, which have affected the long-term viability of local manufacturing operations for Berger Paints Barbados."

— ANSA McAL, Parent company of Berger Paints Barbados, via ANSA McAL news release

The shuttering of Berger Paints Barbados is more than a single factory closing — it is a warning shot across the bow of Caribbean economic integration. When one of the region's largest conglomerates publicly names a CARICOM treaty provision as the reason it can no longer justify manufacturing in a member state, the region must pay attention.

Article 164 exists for a legitimate reason: to give smaller, more vulnerable economies breathing room. But if its application drives manufacturing out of countries like Barbados without creating equivalent industrial capacity in the less developed states it aims to protect, the net result is a Caribbean that produces less overall. That is not integration — it is fragmentation by another name.

CARICOM leaders must use this moment to honestly assess whether the current trade framework is delivering balanced development or simply shifting economic pain from one set of members to another. Workers at Exmouth Gap deserve answers, and so does every Caribbean citizen who believes the single market should mean more than a treaty gathering dust.