Beware of ‘Pie in the sky’! It’s also quite natural for people to want to do the best or build something different. I’ve no problem with that. I do have a problem with those few who get carried away with romantic dreams of what a market should look like and how it should function. Fresh produce seems to evoke thoughts of old buildings with colourful characters plying their trade and mountains of fresh, tasty fruit and veggies. We see proposals for markets which include old world architecture, stalls for small traders, restaurants, hotels and more.
Very little thought seems to be given to the trading floor, how trucks will gain access and be unloaded and many other practicalities. In puffing up their proposals, some people will add buzz-words like “job creation” and “tourism”. I’d love to see many jobs being created and if tourists want to flock to a market, well that’s great. But we need to ask ourselves a few questions.
Who is the market intended for – farmers, buyers, the community or passing trade? Where is it located? Is it located to attract tourists or farmers and buyers? Will tourists want to go there? What facilities will there be for them? Will they add to the income of the market or only the peripheral businesses?
Some people forget that markets have changed and the days are gone when Mom and Dad went down to the market to buy the week’s fresh fruit and veggies. Today, markets are wholesale distribution centres catering for the fresh produce trade. Huge volumes are moved daily and there’s little place for family shopping trips. It’s a pity but that’s the way it is. This implies that any new market must be primarily designed to accommodate the needs of clients and their products. The other attractions are secondary.
A modern market must be highly functional, which means it’s unlikely to be pretty. It needs to comply with food safety standards, cleanliness, perishability of products, cooling requirements, ultra-violet light radiation, heat, cold, product placement on the floor, product movement into and out of the sales hall, product security, human security, movement of forklifts and other equipment, computerised sales systems, positioning of offices, public facilities and more. And don’t forget the three golden rules of retailers, “location, location, location”.
These are the real issues around a new market. Get them in place, sort out the early glitches and get the market trading. The nice-to-haves can come later. – Mike Cordes (e-mail [email protected]). |fw
