Road, Pembroke to cave in.

No one was injured and no stock was damaged in the weekend mishap. But general manager Roderick Ferguson said the collapse will speed up the store's plans to replace the old building.

He explained that the area -- once an old sales floor -- was on unstable ground.

"The building was built before piles came into existence,'' Mr. Ferguson said. "It was built on sleepers. Over time they do settle. Enough of the sleepers had stopped giving support to the structure. The collapse, which occurred on Sunday, was quiet.'' "The majority of what was in there was rubber stuff, so we're expecting it to bounce back,'' he quipped.

"We're utilising space elsewhere in the company for storage.'' Gorham's intended to replace the old building later this year or by early Spring, Mr. Ferguson noted. The roof collapse will speed up that process.