Providing
a nurturing trading environment is important if we are to keep replenishing our
market’s stock of Traders. The current retail revolution is certainly creating
some turnover and recruiting exciting new Traders is the key to avoiding gaps
in our aisles.
QVM
has always considered itself an incubator for small business. Indeed many
vision or business objectives statements about our market include small
business incubation as a key purpose but we haven’t always met the criteria.
In
the past, fledgling new Traders have been introduced into the system with very
little assistance. They have been placed at the end of the queue when it comes
to allocation and often started their retail careers at QVM in the worst
locations. “Doing it the hard way” seemed to be the philosophy from management
and fellow Traders, but all that has changed.
New
Traders are now being actively encouraged and actively curated into spots that
give them a better chance of success. The revitalised L Shed in the Upper Market is a great example
of improving our market through curated placement.
The
result is a better looking market and better opportunities for small
businesses. New Traders can also mean increased competition for some existing Traders but, many believe a revitalised market with full aisles is good for everyone.
By Greg Smith