The old Covent Garden was a wholesale haven, a central cog and benchmark for the UK fresh produce industry. Central London could rightfully claim to be a hub for fruit, vegetables and flowers. When traders crossed the river Thames in 1974, the entire Nine Elms site was filled with wholesale tenants.
Philip Emanuel, one of the traders who made that journey, recently retired from the position of tenants’ association chairman after 13 and-a-half years. He recalls: “There are a few of us who will remember, with affection, the old market and that eventful day on November 8, 1974, when we closed down and moved, over the weekend, to the new site to open for trading on November 11.
“Our thoughts then were mixed. We were unsure how it was all going to work, moving from an old-fashioned market with trolleys and barrows to a modern market to be serviced with forklifts, instead of our trusted old equipment. Our fears were unfounded - within a few days it seemed that we had always been in Vauxhall, and while the old market remained as a fond memory, the importance of the new one soon became obvious.”
Danny Murphy, now managing director of Chef’s Connection, has worked in Covent Gardens old and new for 41 years. His first job, as a trainee porter, was at Stanley Baldwin’s, “wonderful character, lovely man” and after a spell as a banana cutter, he realised his objective and became a porter with A Phillips in Kings Street. There were over 2,000 porters in Covent Garden in 1965 - today there are around 70.
Murphy admits to being in tears when he crossed Vauxhall Bridge to move south of the river to Nine Elms. He also admits that for a couple of years after that fateful weekend he hated everything about the “claustrophobic” new-style market. Gone were the office girls of central London, gone too were the theatre goers who shared tin cups of tea with fruit and vegetable porters in the early hours. Gone forever.
But Murphy, like many others, over time, has benefited enormously from the move. Chairman of the Covent Garden Market Authority Leif Mills takes up the story. “There have, of course, been a lot of changes in food distribution since the market moved to Nine Elms in 1974. Then all of the six trading halls in the fruit and vegetable market were occupied by wholesalers. Now four of those halls are occupied by those supplying the catering trade. The range of produce too is expanding: we now have ice, meat and fish, as well as home delivery and sandwich-making, and many other types of catering supply and distribution.
“Fruit and vegetables, of course, remain the core of the business but the customer base continues to change. There are many fewer retail outlets (greengrocers/street traders) than there were 30 years ago. Supermarkets are now increasingly dominant in the purchase of food from the growers and in the supply of food to the public. As well as this, of course, food consumption is changing: more people eat out more often than ever before. The number of restaurants/eating houses per head of the population is considerably greater than it was 10 years ago - let alone 30 years ago.”
Undeniably, the make-up of the market has changed irrevocably. The wholesalers of south London have endured a difficult period in their history, with the supermarket boom and modernisation of supply chains destroying a large chunk of the retail customer base. This in turn has led to a decrease in the number of wholesalers, through both natural and forced wastage.
But in the fruit and vegetable market, the rising volumes demanded by the catering trade of the capital city have provided ample compensation for the surviving traders and Gary Marshall, owner of Bevington Salads, believes that in recent times, another corner has been turned.
Marshall has been working at Nine Elms for 23 years, beginning as a junior salesman just six years before opening Bevington Salads in 1987. He is also the vice-chairman of the Covent Garden Tenants’ Association. “The strongest and most adaptable wholesalers have survived and while we have a strong catering customer base to work with - and this has been the lifeblood of the market in recent years - we still believe there is room for expansion on the retail side,” he says.
“This year has been difficult for everybody, with the poor weather throughout the summer reducing the value of the product. But we have seen all that before and it has come on the back of a few good years.”
Mills says: “It is the catering trade that has been of significant assistance to the market and in a sense wholesalers and catering suppliers are now the two interlinked pillars of the market. It is in that context that we believe the move to expand the number of fish and meat traders is of such importance and a move that caterers would welcome: it would bring the idea of the one-stop shop - the composite market - fully into reality.”
Emanuel says: “I wonder how many of the traders that made the journey over Vauxhall Bridge 30 years ago, if any, could have ever envisaged the immense changes that have taken place in the retailing and wholesaling of fresh produce in this country. We arrived with 100 per cent occupancy by fruit, vegetable and flower wholesalers; all looking forward with great expectations to the future.
“None of us was predicting then how much supermarkets were going to be the bugbear of wholesalers, not just in London, but throughout the country. They have changed the face of high-street shopping, and caused the demise of many retailers, as well as wholesalers.
“However, the rise in popularity of leisure activities has allowed the catering industry to replace a lot of lost trade, and our market in particular will continue to thrive with this new-found business. Working conditions, working practices, equal rights, health and safety and many other regulations too numerous to mention have all had their impact. Tenants are continually having to re-evaluate the new demands made of them as service-providers and how much it takes to run a successful business, compared to 30 years ago.”
Times have certainly changed for the Murphy clan since they jumped the fence from wholesale to catering sector. Having set up the first Café Rouge in the UK - a one-off restaurant whose design and concept was copied, he says, by a group that set up the now national chain of the same name, Danny Murphy all but stumbled across the divide. His good friend and chef at Inigo Jones in Covent Garden Paul Gayter spotted a punnet of redcurrants in the Café Rouge kitchen, asked Danny to source him some, then increased the volume and variety of his orders.
A few more years down the line Chef’s Connection is one of the most successful catering suppliers at Nine Elms. Murphy’s son Paul is also a director and one of the new characters of the Garden. His son-in-law Miles Brown is another director, and Danny would love to see one of his grandchildren becoming the fifth generation of Murphys in the fruit and veg trade.
“This is still for me the best operating market for anyone who wants to buy fruit and vegetables,” Murphy says. “It really leaves the rest of its competitors standing. They can’t live with our cleanliness, our facilities and our strict adherence to European regulations and standards.
“Covent Garden is also ideally located geographically,” he adds. Chef’s Connection is virtually a 24-7 operation, with just a short downtime on Saturday afternoons, and door-to-door deliveries to central London can be made in a matter of minutes, at any time of day or night. “You can’t do that from the east or the west of the City,” says Murphy. “This is the market for the true professional.”
The last few years have seen another retail development that has had its effect on the flower market, says Mills. “Supermarkets, too, have moved into the selling of flowers, as have garages and garden centres. None of these outlets, however, can match the quality and variety of flowers that are available in the market here and which are supplied to the retail trade/florists. We face increasing competition from Dutch lorries bringing over flowers and supplying them direct to the retailer’s door (often with financial assistance that is not available here), but significantly a growth area for us has been the corporate flower market - flowers supplied to companies/institutions, the hospitality trade and government.”
Dennis Edwards, managing director of one of New Covent Garden’s oldest flower wholesalers John Austin for the last 16 years, has just resumed his role as chairman of the flower traders tenants association. He has worked in both old and new Gardens, having entered the flower trade as a 17-year-old, 38 years ago.
He freely admits he had “never even heard of Vauxhall” before the switch from WC2 to SW8. But the move to “a place in the country” created a physical divide between the fruit and vegetable trade and their flower counterparts. The stand-alone flower market in Nine Elms is still by far the largest flower centre in the UK and, says Edwards, still the central point of the country’s flower wholesaling.
“You can go to a warehouse off the M25. You can buy your flowers off the back of a Flying Dutchman’s lorry. That’s fine. But there is nowhere in the UK that can give you the selection of flowers and the personal attention to detail that the tenants of New Covent Garden offer. This is still the best place to come for your flowers.”
There are 40 companies working in the market and, says Edwards, the biggest change that has happened in the last 30 years is the customer-driven diversification of all traders. “When we arrived here, there were a lot more English growers and perhaps three or four companies that handled Dutch flowers. Now everyone deals in Dutch and we get six-days-a-week deliveries.”
Of course, it is not only Dutch flowers that have appeared in force, there is not a flower-producing nation in the world that has not had its flowers sold at Nine Elms. “The public’s taste in flowers has changed immeasurably - our customers want more exotic and unusual varieties every year,” says Edwards. The growers have kept up with this demand by adapting their methods. If you want tulips in August, they come out of cold storage in perfect condition. If you would like peonies from New Zealand, I’ll get them for you in 24 hours. Growers can produce year-round and 24-hours a-day.
“We have a lot more competition now than 20 or 30 years ago. But that has to be good for the customer. I can see the temptation to use the Flying Dutchman. We all like a lie-in, in the morning. But you have to buy what they have on their lorry - there is no real choice. If you come to the market and you don’t like what I’ve got, you can go to one of my competitors. The Dutchmen don’t have flowers from Italy, Guernsey, England or the Caribbean on their trucks - they just can’t compete with our offer. And the perception that they are cheaper is a myth. They still have to pay their overheads and expenses - and often you will get flowers far cheaper at the market.”
Flower traders have, in the last few years, begun to feel the supermarket pinch that affected their fruit and vegetable brethren before them. “The supermarkets are selling huge volumes of flowers now,” says Edwards, “but I don’t mind that. The more flowers sold in this country the better, as far as I am concerned, and supermarkets have undoubtedly widened the customer base.”
The professionalism of all sectors of the market is what stands it apart from its competitors, says Marshall. “The fact that we are government-owned and run on its behalf by the market authority ensures that market tenants have to comply with every single legislative requirement there is,” says Marshall. “There is a very harmonious relationship between the tenants’ association, the Market Authority and the TGWU - the union which remains strong in the market. The three parties have combined in a very progressive manner and this will continue well into the future. The Authority certainly has the best interests of tenants at heart, and the union has been reasonable and respectful of the needs of traders as well as its members. By working together, we have increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the market. If we had fought each other, that would have proved extremely difficult to achieve. We have a self-policing market, which has very few problems with theft and bases its principles on mutual trust,” he says.
Long-time customers will have heard more than a few hard luck stories in their time at the Garden. But Marshall says: “I think most of us would admit that at times in the past we have been our own worst enemies - a bit like London’s cabbies we always let people believe that things were worse than they were. But internally, the spirit and camaraderie has always been there and it has pulled us through the darker times and into the healthy position we find ourselves in now.
“I think the Labour government was surprised with what they found when they looked closely at the market. They expected to encounter a bunch of semi-dumb, flat-capped barrow boys, but went away with an entirely different opinion. We are very capable of looking after ourselves and continuing to make this market a long-term success - we didn’t get here through a lack of belief. That is why ex-agriculture minister Nick Brown said that this market will only ever be sold by the government as a going concern.”
In 1974, the market’s turnover was £88.34 million, of which £73.57m was fruit and vegetables and £14.77m was flowers. There were more than 110 fruit and vegetable wholesalers in the market and 33 in the pavilion, now there are just over 50.
But, there are more than 60 catering distributors and nearly 20 food and related services companies. Market turnover is now almost £480m a year.
Mills says: “The UK economy is increasingly competitive and the global economy is increasingly dominant. These factors affect the business of the traders here. Margins are tight and competition fierce.
“We look forward, however, with confidence to the next 30 years of New Covent Garden Market. We have a unique location in the centre of London; we have a world-famous name that marketing men would die for and a workforce of unparalleled experience and versatility. In spite of competitive pressures and in some cases legal actions against us - we will pursue vigorously our aim of New Covent Garden Market being the true larder of London. In the next 30 years we shall see this well established.”
The secret to success, says Marshall, is first and foremost to provide a good service, followed very closely by a high quality product at a good price - and to do this consistently. “Any wholesaler that has disappeared from the market through anything but natural causes has not been able to maintain these standards,” he explains.
He also believes that the long-term commitment of the catering suppliers to source their produce from within the market is crucial to its survival. “I can’t stress enough how important it is that the people here at New Covent Garden ensure that they put New Covent Garden first.
“The charter created by the government is primarily to protect the wholesalers in New Covent Garden; it does not protect the market as a catering distribution centre. There has been a worrying trend in recent years for catering companies to source more of their products from outside the Garden. While I recognise that at times it might be necessary to source certain products directly to meet the needs of specific customers, it would be detrimental for everyone should catering suppliers continue to extend this policy. The wholesalers have played a large part in the expansion of the catering companies here and that should not be forgotten. Without the wholesalers here, there would be no Covent Garden Market.”
“The expertise within these 57 acres is incredible. And it is a breeding ground for entrepreneurs. Within a few hundred yards you can find a succession of hard-working self-made businessmen who have built up multi-million pound companies from scratch,” Marshall adds.
One thing is for sure, whoever does eventually take over the market will have a committed group of fruit and vegetable wholesalers to work with. “We are still viewed as the premier wholesale market in the country and widely envied for our superb service and geographical location,” says Marshall. “That is one of the main reasons that Nicholas Saphir recommended that Nine Elms becomes the first composite fresh produce market in the country.”
He adds his final rallying call. “It is up to the tenants here to ensure that we remain the first choice for the retailers, caterers and other sectors of London’s fresh produce industry. By simply being the best at everything we do - providing the right products at the right price in the right place - and that place is New Covent Garden.”
TENANTS MUST PULL TOGETHER
Gary Marshall is vice-chairman of the New Covent Garden tenants’ association. He tells Tommy Leighton that there has never been a more important time for the tenants’ association to show its strength in depth.
“If there has ever been a time for New Covent Garden to have a strong tenants’ association, this is it,” says Marshall. “We need 100 per cent membership and backing and we need to stand together as a united front.”
The fact that Defra wishes to sell or divest itself of the Nine Elms site is hardly a new issue, but until contracts are exchanged, Marshall says tenants must do everything in their combined power to protect their individual interests and the interests of the market as a whole. “There are two or three different parties being discussed by the government at the moment,” he says, “and although the market will be sold as a going concern, the decision taken will be made in the best interests of the government, and it is our responsibility to make sure that the new terms suit us too.”
Marshall believes that, while wholesale tenants are in a reasonably secure position, they must maximise their bargaining power to ensure that position is maintained under new landlords. “The only way the new era can work for us is if we negotiate with one strong voice. If the new owners are able to divide us, then they will see a way to break the spirit of the market and our security will be jeopardised.
“But the new landlords cannot, and will not, negotiate with individual companies or traders. I would urge anybody who isn’t a member of the association to talk to me or one of the other members of the executive committee. We will be negotiating your future.”
Gary Marshall is joint vice-chairman of the association with Jason Tanner, following the recent retirement of chairman Philip Emanuel who had worked in Covent Garden markets, old and new, for 44 years, and spent the last 13 and-a-half as chairman of the new market’s tenants’ association.
“We must all pull together and map out a path in conjunction with any future owner, that will ensure the success of our market and take us through the next decade, with total conviction for a continuing and thriving market,” says Emanuel.
“It is with this very much in mind that I have decided to step down as chairman of the tenants’ association. My period in office has been an absolute pleasure, but I recently ceased working within the market and it is now time for the younger members of the association to take the reins and move things forward for the good of everybody at Nine Elms.
“I would stress that the tenants’ association remains very strong, but it is important for all tenants that there is a large membership, acting as a united body in all negotiations about the market’s future. The good work that we have done in the past will be carried on by my successors and this can only be enhanced by the optimum level of support from traders in all sectors of the market.”
FROM THE TRADING FLOOR
PAVITT’S BUILD A PRIME LOCATION
Pavitt’s Produce is looking forward to a healthy and strong future at New Covent Garden, having recently spent more than £80,000 on a refurbishment.
Richard Buck, a director with Pavitt’s, says the money had been spent installing refrigeration equipment throughout its unit, insulating the walls and putting down a new floor.
“We’d outgrown our premises and were thinking about moving to a bigger unit, but the market is pretty full. We also have an advantage with the location of our premises, on the end of a row.”
In the end he says they decided to stay put and make the best use of the space they’ve got.
Being situated in the market is perfect for his company, says Buck, allowing him to fulfil customers’ orders quickly and efficiently simply by visiting the wholesalers.
“If our customers want something that we haven’t got in store, by being in the market, everything is here for us. If we were based somewhere outside of the market, we would be working a day behind, whereas now, we can turn over stock in 36 hours and quicker for some products.”
Buck says his business is only as good as his last delivery, and the company is determined to maintain a strong reputation and relationship with its customers.
As for what happens in the future, he says they will adapt to any change: “Whatever happens, if the market moves, we’ll go with it. We’ve always gone with the flow.”
INCREASING DEMAND FOR TRACEABILITY AND CONSISTENCY
Westminster Produce has been at New Covent Garden for four years now, and md Steve Roberts says he was attracted to the market by its location, its progress and its facilities.
He says a key change he’s seen in the market is the increasing demand for traceability, due diligence, regular supply and consistency.
A major reason, he suggests for the shift in focus from retail to catering, is partly due to the market’s location: “Your not going to set up a catering business in Basingstoke and then send lorries into London,” says Roberts.
A big plus, in his view, is the reputation of the market: “It’s the quality of service and the produce, the premier quality fruit and vegetables throughout the UK are in Covent Garden.
“It helps sustain the market, I go over to Argentina and they have heard of the market over there.”
However, the market cannot survive on reputation alone: “We have to adapt, we cannot stand still. Other markets can afford to, we can’t.”
He feels the speed of change is now slowing however, and people are turning back to more traditional methods: “People are looking for the small independent local shops again, not just the big outlets.”
TENANTS SHOULD TAKE CONTROL
Sham Grimshaw, md of catering supplier DDP, says the market tenants should be given the opportunity to buy the market for themselves. “Someone should insist that we as a market have the opportunity to buy it.”
However he thinks it would be a struggle for the tenants to raise the necessary cash though: “There are not many 60 acre sites in central London, and asking the tenants to the raise the money would be interesting. We could probably raise a couple of million, but certainly not £500m.”
There is a sense of unity in the market, he says, and people do work together when necessary: “We’re not out to do each other, but we’re very competitive. I can see the market pulling together, if only out of dire necessity.”
He says change has been considerable in the last 20 years: “It’s not so much that the market has changed, but the world and daily life around it has changed.
“We’ve seen the market go from wholesale to catering. When I started there were no caterers, the way it has changed in the last 15 years has been tremendous.
“But we’ve changed quicker than anybody and we’re able to adapt to meet any new challenges.”
He sees a potential future in which the market becomes more of a distribution centre for catering, than a wholesale market. “We’re seeing fewer and fewer wholesalers and the caterers are just getting bigger.”
As a result, there’s been an increase in catering companies sourcing from suppliers directly, and he says it is something he has been doing himself, although he says he’s aware he’s bypassing the market. “It goes against the grain of the market, but its proved very successful.”
He says he is fully supportive of the market, but admits an element of hypocrisy by sourcing direct, however, he hopes he’ll still be trading from Covent Garden in 20 years time.
GARDEN TOP WITHIN THE UK FOR QUALITY
“Covent Garden is without a doubt selling the best produce available in this country,” says Robert Read from WHA Farms.
However, that does not change the fact business is still tough. “Trade is very quiet, and we don’t want to be down beat, but it’s quite hard at the moment, but then again it has been 30 years, and we’re still here.”
He says volume through the market has fallen considerably over the last three decades: “We used to sell lorry loads of apples, but we can’t do that now. We have to adapt to the changes in the sector.”
He praises the support traders receive from the Covent Garden Market Authority: “The relationship we have with the authority has been excellent, you know that they’re on the market’s side.”
He singled out Leif Mills, chairman of the CGMA, for praise but says his forthcoming retirement is a worry: “We’re concerned about who is going to replace Leif, and whether they will be as good as he has been.”
The opportunity for face to face trading for meat and fish is a good one, says Read, who feels it would be better to have one big market for everything. “We have too many markets in London,” he adds.
UNCERTAINTY AFFECTS INVESTMENT
The catering industry has driven the retailers out of New Covent Garden, says Geoff Lamb, managing director of R Tealing.
“The caterers are effectively here first each morning and by the time the retailers have made it down, most of the produce is gone. As a result we’ve driven the retailers out,” he says.
He adds it was difficult to remain positive while the market faced an uncertain future. “There are a lot of concerns over what will happen with the market, after all, this piece of land is one of the most valuable in London.”
All of the fear and concerns means fewer people are investing in their business. “We’re talking about getting a new cold store, but are not sure if we want to be spending that kind of money on our business at the moment, people just aren’t investing.”
STILL A GOOD LIVING TO BE MADE
Peter Antonuccio is the new owner of George Coleman, a wholesale salad and vegetable business founded in 1801.
“As far as we know, we’re one of the oldest businesses in the market,” he says. Antonuccio says he bought the business after selling his high street retail operations.
“I saw an opportunity, it’s a good market. On the retail side, the supermarkets have knocked back most of the smaller shops and the high street is just getting quieter and quieter.”
Although he says his retail business was doing well, he could see the long-term writing on the wall: “I can’t really see the situation with retail changing, not unless Tesco packs up. There’s too much variety available in the supermarkets and people like to be able to do their shopping under one roof.”
The bulk of his business in the market is now from the catering trade, he says, and with the current consumer affluence, he sees it as a healthy market: “The catering trade is really growing and that’s being helped by the fact people are eating out more and more.”
The possibility of the market gaining more face to face meat and fish traders would be beneficial, he says, with the new businesses bringing extra trade into the market in general.
“Overall, there’s still a good living to be made in wholesale for those who are willing to invest both money and their own time. There’s still money to be made.”
FACE-TO-FACE IS FALLING AWAY
“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in recent years is that less and less of the work is done face-to-face,” says Mark James, manager of Paris Express.
Supplying French and Italian produce to the catering trade, James says more than 70 per cent of his business is now done over the phone, fax or e-mail.
Paris Express has recently invested around £130,000 in a new cold store, and has also invested in improving its logistics: it now has nine lorries.
James is confident of the market’s continuing success: “The market is holding its own, it’s been here 30 years now and you can’t knock that. We just need to find something to pull people back into the place.”
Making the market a one-stop shop with meat and fish alongside the fresh produce would be a good thing he believes, and would bring back some of the face-to-face business.
However, he feels relationships among the market traders has changed: “Loyalty between the businesses here has gone downhill, everybody is selling everything now and that makes it hard, if you haven’t got something, they’ll go to someone else and then, perhaps next time, they’ll go to that person first, rather than you.”
CATERING IS THE MARKET'S FUTURE
Originally established in the old Covent Garden market, Roger Thomas is an exotics wholesaler, who moved to the new site back in 1974.
He says one of the most significant changes he has seen over the last 30 years has been the impact of supermarket growing practices on fresh produce.
“Producers are now looking to get as long a shelf life as possible on produce and, as a result, nothing eats as well any more.”
Thomas says the intensification of the retail market means most produce, being mass-produced to supermarket specification, has lost its taste. As a result that has had a knock on effect with the wholesale sector, with product all being grown under the same conditions, whatever the end market.
He says most of his retail trade has dropped off now: “All of my business is now in the catering sector, and we supply people all over the UK. I can’t really see the independent retail scene coming back now.
“I think the industry is not being helped by the quality of the product. It’s the stuff they’re selling that’s killing it. People are trying something once and simply aren’t coming back for more.”
He says the future of the market lies in the catering industry: “I can see the market carrying on into the future off the back of the catering sector.”
Another change in recent years has been an increase in demand for niche products. He says the caterers are now all looking to pick up new and interesting products, such as specialised tomato varieties, and he expects that to continue.
However, he says the lack of youth coming into the market is a problem: “We don’t have enough young people coming into the game, and it takes a long time to build up the knowledge and experience you need, so that is a concern.”
HARD WORK NECESSARY FOR THE FUTURE
C&C Fruit has had a reasonable year, according to Andy Gibbons. A director with the company, and focusing on exotic fruits, he says although the last few weeks have been quiet, business is already showing signs of picking up for the Christmas rush.
He has been in the market for 24 years during which time it has shrunk considerably.
“However, the companies that are now left are pretty sound businesses and I can’t see many more of them going bust. We’ve reached a level where the people who are left are really professional operators.”
He estimates around 95 per cent of his business now goes into the catering sector with the remainder being retail, and he doesn’t anticipate that changing much.
“There is a worry about what might happen to NCGM and there’s been a lot of talk over the years about it, but I’m optimistic for the market’s long-term future, although we need to work hard at it.”
RETAIL REMAINS A VIABLE OPTION
Fruit and salad wholesaler Saner is a new addition to the ranks of New Covent Garden, having been set up by owner Paul Saner around six months ago.
Although Saner himself is not new to the market, having worked there all his life, his decision to set up his own operation reflects an upbeat mood for the future of the industry.
“Business has been good so far, although a little quiet in the last few weeks,” he says.
He is certainly optimistic about the sector generally, but says you cannot sit back: “There will always be wholesale markets, but you have to move and adapt as things change, otherwise you will be swallowed up.
“You have to move with your customers, work with them to fit in with their requirements.”
His business still has a large proportion of retail trade within it, and he says he is determined to maintain that business. “I try and push the retail side, partly because retailers tend to pay more quickly than the caterers.
“The market is becoming increasingly dominated by the catering trade. Retail is still there, although it is getting smaller with the ongoing expansion of the supermarkets.”
DIRECT SOURCING BECOMING AN INCREASING THREAT TO WHOLESALE
The range of produce within the market has increased considerably in the last 10 years, claims Simon Snowdon, manager of The French Garden.
His company, which has been in the market for more than 14 years, sells a range of exotic salads, mushrooms and fruit.
Snowdon says: “There’s a lot more weird and wonderful exotic produce available now, and demand is rising.”
He says the reason is down to the continuing presence of celebrity chefs and a food-obsessed media always looking for something new.
“There’s a lot more call for this kind of stuff and as a result the prices are falling as well. We’ve seen sales shoot up on certain items when they’ve been featured on television. It’s amazing how quickly it happens.”
He doesn’t expect the market to change radically in the immediate future, but, in the long term, says he does think New Covent Garden might suffer from catering companies beginning to source directly from suppliers.
“As the supermarkets begin to stock wider and wider ranges, suppliers are finding the market increasingly tough. Before, they would only have sold to the wholesalers, I think they’re now beginning to sell directly to caterers. I can see that developing, but think it will take a few years yet.”
RE-INVESTING FOR SUCCESS
Re-investing into the business is the key for success in the tough wholesale sector, says Premier Fruits director, Roger Garber.
The company has been in the market for six years now, and in that time has expanded from two bays to nine.
Garber says: “Our turnover is in the region of £18 million and that has been steadily increasing year-on-year.
“We’ve made huge investments in our business over the years; six of our bays now have cold storage, we have three ambient stores and one banana holding room with space for 20 pallets.
“We’ve put a lot of money into the business and it shows. You have to invest in your company in this day and age.”
He says for the sector to survive, it has to meet its customers’ needs: “With customers demanding goods in better condition, you need to offer a better service.”
Garber is upbeat when it comes to the retail market, saying that most of the damage caused by the supermarkets has now been done: “There are still some good independent traders out there still going. I don’t believe there’s any more growth in the retail business, but I don’t think there will be any more decline there either.”
He is equally positive about the wholesale market as well: “I think there will always be a need for wholesale markets and I can’t see that changing. How they operate, and where they operate might change, but demand for them will remain.
“I think Covent Garden is ideally situated for supplying central London and the suburbs, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t remain strong.”
He adds that unity within the market has been a strength: “Although most of us are effectively in direct competition with each other, there’s always been a sense of pulling together and helping each other out.”
NEW ARRIVAL AIMS FOR EXPANSION
Danny Brooker’s company, Brooker’s Ltd, is a new arrival on the market floor. Established around 10 months ago, Brooker says, having worked on the market for nine years, he saw an opportunity to establish his own business. “I wanted to be my own governer,” he states.
The company supplies citrus and apples to both the retail and catering sectors, although Brooker says the bulk of the business, around 70 per cent lies in catering. “I think the retail business will drop off. It is a problem, but I think it’s inevitable.”
He anticipates more contraction within the market, but says the companies left will be the best. There’s also a lack of new blood coming into the sector he warns. “There are not many coming in at all, not many people who want to get up to work at midnight.”
He intends to broaden his operations and recently opened up his own import business through which he intends to supply other markets throughout the UK.
HOUGHTON CHASES THE TRADE TO NEW COVENT GARDEN
Houghton of London is another new arrival to Covent Garden, having moved over from Wimbledon a year ago.
The company provides fruit and vegetable products to the catering sector and owner John Houghton says he moved to New Covent Garden for its location. “We’re basically chasing the trade,” he says. “It’s a good site and we’ve picked up more business since we’ve been based here.”
One emerging trend he says is the demand for fresh prepared produce: “More and more of our customers are looking for ready prepared products, and that’s something we’ve started doing. We can either do it ourselves, or have it done for them.”
INCREASE IN TRADERS WELCOME
“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in 35 years is the contraction of the market,” says Nick Walker, owner of HG Walker. “The market has just got smaller and smaller over the years.
“We saw a lot of changes when we moved to the new site, most of which made the market more efficient.”
As for the future, he expects to see more of the same, with the number of companies operating continuing to drop away.
“It’s quite difficult to be positive at the moment, but hopefully we’ll keep going as we are, but you just don’t know what’s around the corner.”
He says with regards to the future of the market, HG Walker will take it all in its stride, but he says having face-to-face meat and fish traders at the market would be good news.
“It will definitely be a good thing if we can get more traders into the market, but we’ll see what will happen.”
FURTHER CONTRACTION IS NEEDED
Ian Taylor, director of P&I Fruits, feels there’s a need for further contraction within the market.
“At the moment business is particularly poor and I think it’s a case that there just isn’t enough to go around.”
He says there needs to be fewer companies in the sector to help benefit everyone: “It’s not something I want to see, but for everyone else to survive, we might need a few people to disappear.
“At the moment I’m very nervous about the business in general, and not confident. I think things are likely to get a lot worse before they get any better.”
However, despite this, he feels the sector does have a long-term future, and says even the retail side has opportunities: “I think some of the retail businesses are improving, those in certain areas are managing to do well. If retail does pick up, it certainly won’t be on the high street though.”
He says the uncertainty over any new owner at the moment is something to worry about in the future: “For the people in the market, we won’t know what the impact will be until it’s underway.”
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