department store chain will now carry Thermax vacuums at many Caribbean locations.

Courts Barbados Power House and Cave Sheppards, a department store owned by Courts, recently reached the agreement with Thermax Bermuda Clean Care Centre Ltd.

In the agreement, Courts will finance products distributed exclusively to the Caribbean through Thermax Bermuda, according to a release from Thermax Bermuda.

Thermax Bermuda is the exclusive Bermuda/Caribbean distributor of US-based Thermax corporation products.

Prior to the agreement between Courts and Thermax Bermuda, the former had an agreement with rival vacuum company Kirby.

"Courts Barbados Power House and Cave Sheppards have eliminated their contract with Kirby vacuum cleaners in Barbados and have signed on Thermax Caribbean in an exclusive arrangement to finance the Thermax commercial and Thermax AF home environmental cleaning system in Barbados and future Caribbean islands,'' according to a release from Thermax Bermuda.

"The Bermuda company will operate Caribbean and Bermuda operations out of Bermuda,'' said Mr. Charles Leon O'Brien, senior vice president of Thermax Bermuda. "It took about two years to put the concept together.'' Thermax presently has or plans a presence on seven Caribbean islands, Cayman, Barbados, Jamaica, Aruba, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and Curacao as well as its Bermuda operation located in the Recorder Building on Court Street.

Courts, a UK-based department store, operates over 200 stores world-wide.

NEW DISTRIBUTION DEAL -- Mr. Steve Marshall, left, managing director of Courts Barbados Power House, Mr. Orson Arthur director of EnviroClean Services, the Barbados distributor of Thermax vacuum products and a representative of Thermax Bermuda, and Ms Jenefer Brimmer, president of Thermax Bermuda.