@Work: A Conversation with Brent Burrows II, VP of Retail and Sales at CBS Bahamas

CBS Bahamas, the largest home improvement retailer and architectural product supplier in The Bahamas, has served homeowners, contractors, and large-scale projects for decades. Like many established brands, it has been working to address perceptions that no longer reflect how the company operates today. In this edition of @Work, Brent Burrows II shares how CBS has approached that challenge and why trust, reachability, and consistency remain at the center of its strategy.

What is one marketing challenge your company faced this past year?

BB: One of the bigger things we have been trying to overcome is the historical image that CBS is not competitive on pricing. People often assumed our prices were higher than other stores on the island. We also had contractors who saw us more as a DIY store rather than a supplier that could handle large-scale projects. So the challenge has been resetting that perception and showing customers that our pricing is strong and backed by a price match guarantee.

How have you approached correcting that perception, and has it been working?

BB: It has been a lot of educational work. We reach out to customers before they come to us. We ask what projects they have coming up, what we can quote and how we can help. The idea is to give people a chance to see our pricing and understand that we are serious about it.

In-store, we make sure our team knows how to engage customers who may be hesitant. Every manager and floor staff member can explain our pricing and match or beat what is out there. We also give them the tools to do that on the spot. Once customers see that we are genuine, the next interaction becomes easier. They stop guessing and start trusting the process.

If your brand had a marketing superpower, what would it be?

BB: Building customer trust. Customers can reach someone who can help them almost instantly. Our floor staff are knowledgeable, and if you need a manager or product specialist, you can speak to one right away. Even online or over email, we respond within minutes, even late in the evening.

We are a larger retail store, but we still create that old-time, personal, mom-and-pop connection. People know our names and faces. That kind of access is rare now, and it is something we take pride in.

What holds new customers back from connecting with the brand?

BB: The main barrier is the old stereotype. If someone has never shopped with us, they might assume our prices are too high or that we cannot supply large project quantities. Those impressions linger until we have a chance to show them otherwise. Once they experience the service for themselves, the relationship builds quickly.

You mentioned that no customer should leave without an answer. How does your team make that happen?

BB: It comes down to expectations. We do not allow the line, “That is not my department.” If someone on the floor cannot answer a question directly, they still take responsibility for moving the customer forward. They gather the information, connect the customer with someone who can help or use our internal tools to get an answer.

The goal is simple. No one should leave feeling stuck. Even if your mom came in completely unsure of what she needed, someone would help her right away because that is the culture we have built.

Was there ever a moment you realized you needed outside marketing support? What triggered it?

BB: Absolutely. You have to understand that you cannot be good at everything. Things change quickly, especially in digital. A good example happened recently when I logged into Google Ads. I used to manage it years ago, but the platform has changed so much that I realised I would waste hours trying to figure it out and still not get the best result.

There are areas where we excel and areas where outside support makes more sense. The same applies to e-commerce. We are proud of it and it is a strong part of our business, but there are specific tasks where we get help because it gives us better outcomes. Outsourcing is not a weakness. It protects time, performance and the customer experience.

How do you decide which business opportunities are worth pursuing or walking away from?

BB: We look at how the decision will affect the customer experience. CBS is known for being easy to shop with and easy to reach. If a new idea spreads us too thin or affects the quality of what we deliver, we reconsider it.

A recent example is installation services. We offered it for years, and it generated revenue, but customers did not have the same experience they had in store or online. That created frustration. So we stopped offering it. Not every decision is a financial one. It has to make sense for the brand and what we want to deliver long term.

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