[We] are former traders ... for over five years ... and apart from the sheer volume of work our stall created thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie etc. of the market. What we noticed was the steady decline of goods which the management permitted onto the shop floor. When we started one had to pass a quality test and competition was high . This resulted in a fantastic cross section of genuine crafts which in turn pollinated the large footfall. Then came all day opening of the pubs and the daily 1530 flurry of sales dissipated. Management changed and the onslaught of cheap / nasty imports followed...creativity was annulled by traders merely arriving packed to the gills with store bought whatevers. Management were entirely to blame and lo and behold the rents escalated. One by one the old faithfuls dropped out unable to make ends meet and to day I believe a maximum of four traders are still grinding out a subsistence-more out of habit than anything else.I value traders' views of their experience of the market. More please.
So the point of my e-mail is not to whinge but to actually analyse the demise....a few key factors
* Greenwich council / hospital trust that owns the market obviously have a futuristic "big picture" to develop the square
* Single ownership of ALL surrounding pubs/restaurants - excessive prices / lack of competition
* Tatty goods
* Poor market management
* Escalating rents
* Etc etc
Perm any two from this list along with your thoughts and lets devise a rescue plan ....or be dragged down with apathy.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A trader writes...
Here's another email that I feel moved to reproduce pretty much in its entirety (I have made edits to protect its sender's anonymity).
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2 comments:
Yes it's true. Many of the old long standing traders have left. Their businesses undermined by new management rules. Also there has been an increase in like for like product resulting in saturation of certain product lines. This coupled with lowering footfall makes healthy competition impossible. So certain traders have gone elsewhere. Certain traders have just stopped their small business trading which is such a shame. Yes there is a recession. However, other markets do not seem to be having this problem to this extent. Traders that trade on more than one market have direct income comparisons and Greenwich nearly always comes bottom. So? Where to next?
It's a great shame to lose long standing traders , especially if it's through an increase in like for like product ,making it impossible for them to make a fair living.
When we lose these traders , we not only lose their product ,we also lose the familiarity & continuity they bring to regular visitors. In turn we lose the trust & good will built up over many years.
I don't think you can run a decent market on a diet of fly by nighters & goodtimers,who come for Christmas + other good periods
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