Last year may not generally be remembered as one of the easiest periods, but it appears it was not one of the worst years if you were involved in managing a wholesale or retail market.

It would seem that many of the issues that came to the fore during the past 12 months - from the surge in obesity to the negative effects of globalisation on the food chain - only served to highlight the importance of the benefits that traditional public markets bring to communities and their economies. After years of what seemed like endless uphill battles for the smallest of gains, the global recession ensured that markets focused on their capabilities and strengths, thereby maximising returns for all stakeholders. This is due in no small way to an increased recognition and respect for the positive returns that food markets bring to business and to society in general.

WUWM membership both increased and diversified in 2008, highlighting the growing demand that exists for non-profit industry associations such as ours. Lean times or not, as competition increases within the fresh produce sector, so too does the need for dynamic professional networking organisations, which can pull major players together.

As the only international association to support retail and wholesale food markets, it is clear that WUWM and its markets are attracting wider interest in Europe, as well as on the world scene. Our role in supporting food market leaders took leaps forward in 2008. That success also ensured increased involvement with governments at local, regional and international levels, a situation that benefits WUWM as an organisation, as well as its membership. We will continue to build on that work in 2009, ensuring that food markets are more widely acknowledged and accepted as key components in helping local governments achieve their aims, whether in developed or developing countries.

Our intention these past years has been to pull together the various parts of the sector and thus unite the market industry as a whole. We now have the opportunity to capitalise on the fact that the owners, management and traders of markets (in all their forms - wholesale, retail, farmers’ markets, etc) have willingly joined together in one organisation to maximise benefits and achieve influence for all those with a stake in the sector - benefits that touch not only food sector businesses and operators, I might add, but the buying public and associated small- and medium-sized enterprises as well.

One can safely say that there is no longer any doubt over the health benefits to be derived from eating quality fresh fruit and vegetables. While society still has some way to go to reach the desired consumption levels, our goal is to enable those targets to be met and to ensure that when that success arrives, food markets and their traders are seen justifiably as the most ethical, desirable and attractive of suppliers.

This year, WUWM will increase its focus on membership, activities and representation of the retail market sector. We will be providing greater promotion of the sector to local government and other decision-makers, increasing our data on the true role of retail markets in local economies, increasing the promotion of best practice and ensuring targeted lobbying. A second WUWM Retail Conference will also be held, hosted this summer by the National Association of British Market Authorities, with the support of the London wholesale markets.

Additionally, our wholesale activities in 2009 will further develop one of our core strengths - our members’ technical knowledge and skills. We will do this by initiating a new work exchange programme for our members. Now we have our foot firmly in the door, we will also be pursuing new lobbying opportunities, applying focus also to priority areas in need of funding support - something we feel is fully deserved and justified considering the increasing vitality and importance of markets - and the international network of excellence that now supports them.