The changing face of
consumerism is illustrated in many ways and this comment taken from the Herald
Sun on 14th April 2016 refers to the era of the single portion food
buyer.
Erika McKenna, 19, said the atmosphere and
freshness drew her to the Queen Victoria Market. "It's a bit more
leisurely than going to the supermarket, I enjoy it," she said. She said
market produce was better value, especially when cooking for one. "I like
that I can buy small quantities of things I need because I live by myself and
cook by myself. "At a supermarket things like meat and butter are all
pre-packaged, so I have to buy more than I need and I don't end up using
it."
Bulk buying families
have been the core of our fresh food business for decades, in fact probably
since the setting up of the market. But things change and the rise of
apartments, singles or couples living in them, and more frequent eating out, is
no doubt impacting on the way we do business at QVM.
What does that mean
for our market? Does it influence the design of our shops or their location? Do
traders need to adopt different merchandising philosophies? What changes might
our planners be contemplating as we look at renewal options? What advice do we need to give those planners?