After
6 years serving as a Trader Representative at QVM I have decided not to
nominate for the upcoming Trader elections and it is an opportunity to reflect
on a turbulent time in market representation.
In
2010 when the CEO at the time, Jenny Hibbs, invited participants to a Trader
Focus Group discussion there were many clear issues for our market. The GFC had
wreaked its wrath on retailing and the economy generally. Customer reviews were
showing increasing criticism of the market offer, particularly in the top end,
and it was clear we needed to review our direction.
For
Specialty Traders (General Merchandise) there were some key issues. Market
promotion was almost entirely directed at food with the prominent tourism
brochures at the time completely neglecting the Specialty Merchandise offer of
clothing and souvenirs even though that is what the tourists would come to buy.
That
has all changed. And while QVM is rightly regarded first and foremost as a food
market (there, I have said it) there is increased emphasis on the important
role of tourism with specialists like Andrew Cyples adding their expertise.
Another
key concern for the original Focus Group (later to become the QVM Advisory
Committee) was the lack of core retail expertise in management. You can imagine
how that criticism was greeted by management at the time. Our reasoning was
that the GFC had changed the ground rules and it was no longer sufficient for
"property managers" to meet the needs of a rapidly changing retail
world. The Boards recent appointment of Malcolm McCullough as our CEO with his
strong core retail experience (including small business) showed that they
agreed.
Of
course a major concern for early Trader Representatives (and I should have put
it first) was lack of investment in our market by City Council. We have
recorded on these pages before about that momentous occasion when an angry
Trader wrote to the Lord Mayor asking for a meeting to discuss lack of
commitment to QVM and Lord Mayor Robert Doyle agreed. He said the decline of
the market was a major concern for the city and set about correcting past
neglect with a potential $250 million re-investment strategy. Trader
Representatives have been an important part of that process.
The
fourth major issue for Trader Representatives was reversing the decline in
trader's incomes as the retail revolution took hold. Obviously this remains a
work in progress. Like retailers around the globe we at QVM are struggling to
adapt to new consumerism. There are bright spots. Our Night Market concept
shows promise and we now have funding to make suitable changes to the way we
operate. We are engaging the best brains from our respected city design team
and listening to global experts as we carefully pick our way forward. Trader
Representatives have an important role to play as they contribute "on the
ground" experience and communicate with the wider trader body.
In
a process started by Jan Cochrane-Harry and now strengthened by Malcolm
McCullough, our access to management staff has never been better. The influence
of Trader Representatives can be considerable. The upcoming election will be an
opportunity for fresh creative trader minds to help find a way forward for QVM.
If you are one of those people, or you know someone who is, now is the time to
nominate. A bright future for our market depends on it.
By
Greg Smith
