The imperatives that drive the QVM Board and management team are under
scrutiny as we face the appointment of a new CEO at Australia’s premier public
market and the question needs to be asked – “What are they managing?”
A trader recently asked the question - If this was a sport, say
Australian Rules Football, would we regard ourselves as just the ground
managers, or would we take wider responsibility for the health of the football
competition?
The underlying function of a public market is its retail sales
function. Our market has social and community roles but it is primarily in
existence for the exchange of goods and services for money. Traders have often
criticised the focus by QVM (the company) as a property manager. The real
question is - what needs to be managed at the market so as to ensure the market
truly becomes a “world class market precinct… forever”? (which is the language
linked to the Renewal). Is it the activity at the market or is it the
infrastructure that houses the market?
Back in 2013, QVM were looking for a new CEO. Fortunately we had Jan
Cochrane-Harry already on our doorstep, but that is another story. The
advertisement at the time said – “Candidates will preferably have a business
background in property, infrastructure, major events or the like...” Note that
there was no mention of retail experience. So, getting back to
the football comparison, would we be happy with an applicant who
prioritised the ground resources, the watering and cutting of the
grass, making sure the stadiums were clean and safe etc. (the
property) but didn’t have experience and interest in the performance
of the teams, the game scores, the player and team stats and
health, match attendances, the interest of fans, and the myriad of other
factors that make up a healthy competition.
Now, we know it is dangerous territory to
argue using analogies. The point is that the level of understanding of the
grass-roots game, in our case retailing ( and in particular how a
market fits into the retails environment ), doesn’t seem to have been
a high priority at QVM and, in a time of retail recession and market
renewal, do the QVM Board and the City of Melbourne need to change that? How
far are they to be “ground keepers” and how far are they to be "makers of a world class retail market”?