It is time to plan Christmas Trading arrangements and how we
accommodate the different requirements of food and non-food categories. This is
an important business time of year and deciding on trading arrangements can be
quite complex.
Christmas Day falls on a Thursday this year with New Years
Day also on a Thursday
Food will likely be seeking to trade on Christmas Eve and
New Years Eve (both falling on a Wednesday) to link up with family food
requirements.
General merchandise will be seeking to trade on days that
are likely to attract crowds to the market.
Last year the market traded for seven straight days leading
up to Christmas and general merchandise took up an offer for free rent on the
Monday before Christmas with some favourable results. This year there will be
the complication of a night market clash on the Wednesday.
There are many aspects to the Christmas trading debate
including-
-
How do we best meet the needs of our customers?
-
How far do we promote ourselves as Melbourne’s
premier retail outlet?
-
Do we need to show a united front with all
departments open at the same time?
-
Should we trade on Boxing Day (a Friday)?
QVMAC Representatives will be considering this issue at a
meeting next Tuesday and, if you would like to contribute to the discussion,
here is your chance.