“Nasty” is how Colin Rego describes setting up a new grocery store in Bermuda.

“It was not the kindest of journeys,” said Mr Rego, founder of the Sargasso delivery app.

He and Carl Vincent, of the online grocery business Drop It, discovered the industry’s nature while opening Pronto City Market on Park Road in Hamilton this month.

“Grocery has been a market dominated by the same people for a long time,” Mr Vincent said.

“The market was not prepared to educate and host new players. We had to figure out everything on our own, while continuing to run our existing businesses.”

Mr Rego said they were given ultimatums and bad deals, at times.

“There were many barriers to entry,” he said. “We were definitely not handled with the best respect. Yet, here we are with this huge opportunity to really change the space on Park Road and create new jobs.”

Both entrepreneurs found their footing as delivery operators during the height of the pandemic when social-distancing measures were enforced. According to Mr Vincent, the delivery business is still doing extraordinary well four years later.

“As our population grows older and busier, it is more important to spend our time wisely,” Mr Vincent said.

Pronto started out three years ago as an online grocery store based in a warehouse on Union Street in Hamilton. He and Mr Rego quickly realised the online grocery industry had its challenges.

“It was very costly and there was a limited market,” Mr Rego said. “Yes, we had great performance after Covid-19, but the reality is that 99 per cent of all groceries in the world are still exchanged through human interaction in a bricks-and-mortar space.”

Now that the 5,000 sqft space on Park Road is up and running, they are focused on redefining their services and introducing new products. They are seeing a real demand for pre-prepared dinners, particularly for people who work late.

“We are in the research and development phase of that,” Mr Vincent said. “We have hired the right team to help us build up a product base. At the moment, we sell ready-made meals made by Nourished and Eat Clean, along with salad kits and things like that.”

One of the Pronto City Market’s selling points is its hours. It is open from 8am to 11pm daily and looking at extending those hours even further in the future.

Mr Vincent said their enthusiasm distinguished them from other stores.

“We are extremely excited to welcome people,” he said. “We also pride ourselves on offering value first and being competitive.”

He thought their location, formerly occupied by ZipX, was also a plus.

“It feels good, it looks good and it is clean,” he said.

So far, feedback has been positive, particularly on their produce.

“Our storage areas are relatively small, so it forces us to have a quick turnover,” Mr Rego said. “We have brought on some butchers and executive members to lead the food space.”

Those who do not want to physically go to the grocery store can still order their goods through pronto.bm.

“The space is a functioning hybrid,” Mr Vincent explained.

Mr Rego said it had been a long journey to opening the grocery store.

“Having the right mindset and the right people allowed us to have the opportunity to show up and compete and provide a service,” he said. “We are very grateful to be here in this moment.”