A
big fuss has been made about Sally Capp’s announcement that an extra $1.7m or
so is to be spent on maintenance and marketing at QVM but many traders believe
this misses the point.
If
you are one if that small group that believes that all our market needs is a
lick if paint and a tidy up and that miraculously that will reverse the current
market decline then you are probably delighted. But those traders who listened
wide-eyed many months ago as comprehensive renewal plans were unveiled to set a
grand new course for our market, are still waiting, and this temporary cover-up
has little merit.
Don’t
get this wrong, extra investment is fine and an extra $770,000 on maintenance,
and the first $1m from the $8m Trader Support Scheme (which we understand is to
be spent on marketing) is all good. Sally Capp and the CoM are to be
congratulated for finding extra funding.
Our
market needs maintenance. Dirt, dust, broken footpaths, rubbish, and bad
smells, all need addressing. Traders need assistance in how they promote their
businesses.
But
maintenance, brushing over, and more advertising are not going to fix the big
issue. We are in a retail revolution involving a dramatic change in consumer
sentiment and our market simply struggles to compete. It is not because all of
a sudden consumers have forgotten about us and need reminding through more
advertising. It is because cash-strapped consumers have adjusted their
spending, (in some categories dramatically cut spending) embraced alternative
shopping options, and in many cases pushed shopping convenience to the top of their
priority list.
We have no excuses here. We know that consumers embrace entertainment with their
shopping, and are happy to spend more on ready to eat food. We know they demand
comfort and convenience, and want more ways of buying. They are demanding
more from their shopping experience.
For
many traders the way to address the shift in consumer thinking was with modern underground
facilities that made the produce on top of the ground the hero, and a cutting
edge market pavilion that showed consumers we could excite and tantalise. It
showed the world that, yes, we could retain our iconic old world charm but meet
the challenges of new consumerism and show we are relevant to the next 140
years of community markets in Melbourne.
And
there are a few more things - add in a
review of trading hours, new ways of setting up and merchandising stalls,
address glaring weather protection issues, expand the successful Night Market
concept, educate traders in modern self-promotion, and maybe we would be on the
right track to long term recovery. Most of that is yet to happen.
The
$1.7m is welcome but this is no easy fix and a successful future for traders
requires vision, a grand plan, and at least a dash of entrepreneurial endeavor.
Let’s get on with that job.
By
Greg Smith