Today's article in The Age (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/traders-fear-20140301-33swo.html) starts off with an uncomfortable
summary of QVM decline, the loss of the "farmers market" ingredient,
the disappearance of local manufacturing and its "back door" supply
source for traders, the sameness of cheap Chinese made goods, and the failure
to address modern customer demands for convenience and availability.
Rigorous analysis of
QVM can be very positive and that is what the current renewal process is
all about. The article paints a healthy picture of QVM annual returns to city
council but equally makes the point that the market needs to be seen as a
"social enterprise", not just a commercial one. That is a point that
may be lost on some of our Board members. We can expect continuing debate on
the role of a "public retail market".
Like all summaries of complex problems this article misses
the target on a couple of issues and the suggestion that rents start at $20.50
per day is misleading given that the average of rent and associated costs in
the top end of the market is around $2600 per month. However, it is still true
that the market can be a low cost entry point for new retailers and that our
role as a business incubator is an important one.
Renewal at QVM is a very exciting prospect and articles like
this will enhance the process of debate. We particularly like the introduction
of words like "grittiness" and "anarchy" when describing
our QVM. Somehow they ring true. Hopefully we will soon be adding words like "healthy", "dynamic", and "profitable".