General Merchandise and Food – The Same But Different.

It is not often that all trader groups at the Queen Victoria Market get together but Thursday night’s meeting with Paul Guerra and Rob Adams gave us an insight into some of the issues that get different reactions from different groups.

All trader groups at QVM are united in a desire for a positive business environment that is enjoyable to work in, creates reasonable profits, and has a sustainable vision going forward. Working together is important. A representative from seafood traders claimed on Thursday night that fresh food was responsible for attracting 70% of the customers to the market. QVM surveys would appear to support that view. They show that 70% of visitors are locals who are the core customer group for fresh food. On the other hand, we know that tourists are drawn predominantly to general merchandise and we know that the largest number of rent payers at QVM are general merchandise traders. The point is that each group at the market relies on each other for a cohesive mix of products, attractions, and financial inputs. We are different, and so we should be. But understanding, and accommodating those differences is going to be very important going forward so we can all benefit.