A Hard Fact: One trader lamented this
week that he spent years of sacrifice and hard work creating his business and
meeting the needs of his customers. When he got that bit right he set about
fitting in a family life and all was good. But then someone moved the goal
posts (the retail revolution) and he feels like he is starting all over again.
Many traders will relate to that sentiment.
A Friendly Face – a friendly face and
one of our market’s true gentlemen, was shopping in the market on Saturday. It
was great to see you Sam.
Rent Falls – apparently the CoM
financials on QVM released this week show a $1.1m decline in stall holder
revenue, from $18.2m in 2016 to $17.1m in 2017.
Traders Survey – a survey inspired by
TRC Representatives was distributed in parts of the top end on Friday with
traders asked their views on extending trading hours and the possibility of an
additional night market. There were complaints that the nominated 3:00pm and
4:00pm closing times didn’t go far enough but traders generally were pleased to
become involved in the debate.
Instagram Beats Facebook For Business
Exposure? – One of our traders has experimented with both Facebook and
Instagram for their social media marketing but claims that Instagram gives
better results, particularly if a business or person with a large following
tacks on to your posts. The ability to adjust your Instagram tags and adjust
your customer focus is seen as a plus.
Better Way For Rent Payments – a trader
has suggested that instead of referencing invoice numbers when paying rent
online we should simply reference trader numbers. Invoice numbers change each
week and errors can be made in recording, whereas trader numbers are committed
to memory and unlikely to be mis-quoted.
New Management Structure - we understand that Paul Guerra has not been idle in his role as interim CEO and a new management structure is in the wind. We look forward to seeing how the management team will be structured as we move into the renewal phase.
Overheard During a Discussion On Trading Hours - a group of traders talking about the option for a night market for day traders and which night would be best. "Wednesday night" said one. "We already have a Wednesday Night Market" said another. "That's OK - I don't mind sharing with them."
Market Centric Online Site - a new online shopping destination apparently has strong market connections with a number of traders already on board. We understand the site has no set up costs, takes a small percentage of sales only, and will come to your stall to photograph products. Might be worth checking out at www.goodbrand.com.au