What was your first experience of the wholesale industry and how did you get involved?
GW: By profession, I am a lawyer and my first involvement with markets arose out of court proceedings involving issues of market rights. In the early years, most of the legal issues I addressed concerned retail markets, but I then did some work looking at the legislation affecting the London wholesale markets.
Back then, would you have thought you’d be in this role now?
GW: When I was head of legal services at Wakefield, I never imagined that I would become so deeply involved in markets. I had always had a keen interest in the legal side, but I knew little of managerial and operational issues. However, after being provided the opportunity of early retirement from Wakefield, I was invited to apply for this post. The last six years with NABMA have been among the happiest of my working career.
The association has grown out of all recognition to what it was six years ago with a wide portfolio of member services and respect from government and other national agencies. The important challenge I now face is maintaining the progress NABMA has made.
What kind of perceptions of the fruit and vegetable wholesale marketplace did you have?
GW: When I first started at NABMA, I tended to put the markets into different compartments and see retail and wholesale markets as having different agendas and requirements. While there is still some element of truth in this, I think the biggest change NABMA has sought to implement is the sharing of a common agenda between retail and wholesale markets. Whenever issues arise we now look at the implications across the markets sector as a whole and share good practice and innovation. One of the biggest changes we have seen in recent years is the acknowledgement of markets as a significant community asset and wholesale markets are playing an important role in delivering this community agenda. We have seen some great examples of community work done by Glasgow and New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) with local schools.
How would you describe the UK fruit and vegetable wholesale arena, compared to Europe and worldwide?
GW: We have some of the most famous wholesale markets in the world, but some of those are facing significant challenges. Liverpool’s proposed redevelopment seems to be stalling, Birmingham’s situation is currently under review and Glasgow is undergoing a further revision of its corporate structure. On the other side of the coin, NCGM’s plans seem to be progressing well and according to the agreed timetable. The UK wholesale markets still have much to offer on the European and world stages, but in terms of size and resources it is difficult to compete with what is now being provided in China and elsewhere. At the last NABMA Wholesale Forum, members shared some of the projects that are being progressed in terms of energy saving, waste management, transport organisation and other operational issues. Many of these markets provide facilities that are second to none.
What would you change about the industry if you could?
GW: One of the main reasons why the challenges facing some of the major local authority wholesale markets exist is that markets are not given a sufficiently high priority. Those responsible for the management of wholesale markets need to realise they are not simply outlets for fruit, vegetables and flowers, they are business incubators, important community assets and help deliver some of the government’s key policies on health. The government, in particular, needs to highlight the importance of maintaining a vibrant wholesale market sector for all these important reasons. There is still a long way to go, and for many markets they will still remain a ‘Cinderella’ service.
If you had to choose an example of a really successful wholesale market that will be sustainable in the future, which would it be and why?
GW: Looking at what Bradford has achieved I think the management and traders deserve great credit for the successful way in which the market operates. A key to the council’s success is that it allows the market section to keep the surplus generated and this is something that other market operators should duplicate.
What do you think of the redevelopment of NCGM?
GW: NCGM is taking the opportunity to engage in the wider regeneration of its site and it is doing this in partnership with the local authority and other agencies. When the development is completed not only will we see first-class market facilities, but also a substantial change in the landscape of the area. The wholesale industry will learn lessons from what Covent Garden is doing.
What will 2012 hold for the UK fruit and vegetable wholesale industry?
GW: The wholesale markets have shown themselves to be resilient in the face of increasingly strong competition from the supermarkets, but 2012 is going to put extra pressure on them. The latest retail trends show that the independent retailers are being squeezed even tighter and the rest of us can only dream about the resources available to supermarkets to promote their products and alleged value. Clearly, the government is alarmed about the overall impact this is having on the high street, as Mary Portas has been brought in to provide some new ideas.
It is vital that we promote the added value that wholesale markets bring. We must not forget the diversity, quality and professionalism of many of our traders. NABMA is the only national markets organisation that speaks for market operators and it is vital that the link to the government is maintained so that wholesale markets have a voice. -
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