A former chef has traded his pots and pans for the Internet and T-shirts after opening a new store - Swiss Connection - in Dockyard's Clocktower Mall.

Managing director of Swiss Connection is Donald Duerr who started the store after he became interested in a project his sister did on opening an Internet cafe in Bermuda as part of her studies for a Hewlett Packard training course.

The store opened on April 1 and Mr. Duerr said every week had been busier than the previous week.

A Swiss native who came to the Island to work as a chef, Mr. Duerr has been in Bermuda for 17 years and is married to a Bermudian and the couple have two children. Explaining his sister's project and the subsequent plan for the store, he said: “The project was to set up an Internet cafe in Bermuda and I was impressed with her idea. I was originally a chef so I decided to make a little change in my life.”

Although Mr. Duerr first had his sights set on Hamilton, he said the opportunity came up to open a shop in the Clocktower Mall in Dockyard, although management did not want him to open up a cafe.

“So I decided to add T-shirts and so on,” said Mr. Duerr.

He said that he did, however, offer sodas and would provide coffee through a partnership with Beethoven's restaurant, also in the Mall.

One side of the shop is a cybercorner with high speed Internet which Mr. Duerr says customers really appreciate when they send e-mails, check on sports scores or simply browse the web.

The computers are also linked to web-cams so people can send pictures while they are online.

The other part of the store offers customised T-shirts, mouse pads, baseball hats, mugs and so on. Swiss Connection also offers full copying service, stationary, blank CDs and cell phone rental.

“I think our prices are pretty good. They are lower than others in town,” said Mr. Duerr.

Mr. Duerr enjoys both local and visitors' custom.

He said that many of his Internet customers were staff from the cruise ships who camd and checked their e-mails while locals came and had personalised T-shirts and accessories created.

He said when the cruise ships were at the port, business was brisk, while at other times he relied on the local custom.

Like all Dockyard retailers, Mr. Duerr relies in no small part on the visiting cruise ships, and he was expecting business to pick up yesterday afternoon with the arrival of the Nordic Empress which stays until Thursday before moving to Hamilton.

Last week's inaugural visit of the Carnival Triumph with some 3,520 people on board turned Dockyard into bustling market place according to Mr. Duerr. He said that although many of the visitors left on Saturday for tours of the Island, souvenir seekers were out in droves on the Sunday morning before the ship left at 2 p.m.

The mega ship will also be calling at Dockyard for the next few weeks and on some occasions, staying as long as four days.

The store decor reflects Mr. Duerr's native land and although you won't find Swiss watches or penknives, he regularly plays swiss music and has a host of Swiss flags.

Swiss Connection is open seven days a week and is on the web at www.swissconnection.bm