Phoenix Stores Ltd. plans to open a new Dockyard pharmacy aimed principally at gaining trade from cruise ship passengers.

The company's chief executive officer George Grundmuller said the target opening date for the new store, at 7 Camber Road in the premises formerly occupied by Sparky's, is April 1.

Mr. Grundmuller said the company was also planning to relocate its Clarendon Pharmacy, in Bermudiana Road, to the new Victoria Place complex in Victoria Street.

"Our market research has shown that a pharmacy is needed in Dockyard," Mr. Grundmuller said yesterday. "During the tourist season there will be thousands of cruise ship passengers in Dockyard every day.

"We will have first-aid stuff and we'll be able to fill their prescriptions. We'll have treatments for sea sickness, suntan lotion, sunglasses, et cetera."

Mr. Grundmuller said about 70 percent of the store would be devoted to the pharmacy and some 30 percent would offer tourist items like hats and tee-shirts.

The reason for moving the Clarendon Pharmacy to Victoria Place is that Phoenix has three pharmacies close to each other — Clarendon, the Woodbourne Chemist on Gorham Road and the Phoenix Stores on Reid Street.

"There has been a is a lot of residential movement into the Victoria Place area and the space is a bit bigger than the premises we have now at the Clarendon Pharmacy," Mr. Grundmuller said.

Mr. Grundmuller was speaking from Atlanta, where he was attending a trade show and looking to buy stock for the new Dockyard store.