On opening day last July, the mood among traders at the brand-new Western International Market was somewhat variable, due to a row over the timing of the market’s relocation. Many businesses felt their units were not ready in time for the scheduled move to the new 130,000sqft area several hundred metres away from the old site, and that the date should have been postponed.
While most of the companies that had taken up space on the new market moved in on schedule, there were inevitable teething problems, with contractors failing to finish some work, and phone lines and electricity not in place for a number of traders.
In the aftermath of the row, Western International Market Tenants’ Association (WIMTA) chairman George Bray resigned after 14 years in the role - a job that was taken up shortly after by WIMTA’s first female chairman, Gill White of Western Banana Centre. Sheila Fisher of JH Bridges took up the post of vice-chairman.
Twelve months later and following the first birthday party of the site at the beginning of this month, the mood is far more positive. Initial moving day problems have been largely ironed out and business is on an even keel, despite the difficult economic climate. Tenants have worked hard to keep the new site as clean as it was when it opened for business, and while plenty of traders still voice concerns over certain issues - for example, a lack of parking space - there is a far more positive vibe around the market.
Market manager Richard Day oversees operations at Western and liaises between Hounslow Borough Council, which owns and manages the site, and the tenants. “The move was a big change for everyone,” he says. “Like all markets, some of the traders give a negative view. Three months after we moved we hit the credit crunch, which was a scary time, but the upturn in retail markets means that the traders have mainly survived.”
There is a mix of views on the market floor - while most traders are happy with the new market’s location and its high standard of cleanliness, especially compared to the previous site’s “dilapidated” condition, there are a few who preferred the old market, including Bob Butler of RJ Hopper. “Everyone has coped alright with the move - we have had to,” he tells FPJ. “But the market needs 10 more yards on the perimeter all the way round and that would make all the difference.” However, Butler admits that the old market was in poor condition. “You couldn’t keep trading there - it was filthy,” he adds.
Bob Webster, managing director of HG Walker, says: “In the old market, there was more room, more cover out back and we had to pay less rent and less service charge.
“Trade-wise it’s okay here - turnover is not a problem. But I much preferred the old market. There is not enough parking here and all the teething problems come down to a lack of room.”
The construction of a second exit barrier just a few weeks ago has helped ease some of the congestion problems cited by traders. White admits that while there is not an ideal amount of space on the new site, all the traders knew that would be the case before they moved in. “It is a bit like putting a quart into a pint pot,” she explains. “We just have to be vigilant, with the forklifts, etc. We have ironed out the original problems with the council and opening a second exit has really helped.”
Day adds: “The tenants have to follow new rules - for example, on the forklift lanes. You can no longer drive vehicles down the covered hallway inside the market.”
Anthony Noah, the market’s representative for the Transport and General Workers’ Union and an employee of RJ Hopper, tells FPJ that there are some outstanding health and safety issues to be resolved. “The union has a really good relationship with the tenants’ association, but there are a lot of health and safety issues here,” he says. “There is a lack of space and a lack of policing of health and safety issues. There is nobody to enforce the traffic flow system.”
But White and Day say that the new site is safer than the old one and that the union was involved in its design. “The new market is much safer than the old one - because it is smaller, people are forced to slow down and forklifts are no longer allowed inside the hall,” says White.
The health and safety regulations have proven tricky to navigate for a lot of tenants, but WIMTA has always insisted on good housekeeping and right from day one, the tenants’ association says people have tried to keep the building clean. Pest control was planned into the new build, and the market has also achieved considerable success with recycling, processing around 80 per cent of its waste, according to Day.
He says: “From the local authority’s point of view, we spent the last five to 10 years in the old market not spending anything because the move had been planned, but we spent money on developing the new site and people appreciate that.”
Western now houses a recycling unit with six full-time employees, with a further six working outside to collect the rubbish from the market. Western was the first London market to conduct recycling in this way, says Day, and he is now sharing that information with other markets across the capital. “When you look at the cost of landfill, it is far more cost-effective to recycle fruit and vegetables,” he says. “At one point, rubbish disposal at Western was the biggest cost to the service charge - this is no longer the case.
“We have also added in a pallet chipper that we can then use to sell waste wood,” adds Day. “Other markets are now looking at this as well. All the market managers in London keep in touch - there is no point in us operating in different ways.”
The closure of a couple of companies shortly after the new market opened has failed to dampen spirits. There is now a waiting list of six or seven businesses that want to lease a stand. Some new firms have set up shop on the premises in the last 12 months and a couple of the existing tenants have actually expanded their premises since last July. The market is at full capacity in the main trading hall, and the tenants’ association is keen to expand in the site’s second hall.
“We would like to see more flower tenants,” says Day. “The two we have got are big and are happy with things, but I would like to see more.
“We are also trying to encourage more caterers to come in, particularly because of [Heathrow] airport.”
Fisher explains that while it is “natural” that people don’t want change at first, businesses are now just getting on and doing their jobs. “This market is a much nicer place to work,” she says.
Day agrees, adding that once the businesses were in place, they all “saw the benefits of the new working environment”.
“Western had to come into the 21st century - you can’t do that old barrow boy atmosphere any more,” he says. “Everyone wants good products and wants to buy from a better market. We have supported the tenants through the first year and we are now encouraging extra trade to come in. People have to now get on with their own businesses. The fact that the tenants don’t really moan now says a lot for the current leadership of the tenants’ association.”
Graham Brown of JJ Cheney is pleased with how the move has panned out for his firm. “There are one or two restrictions on the new site but we are pleased,” he says. “Generally, things are great. We have a big office and this is a new, modern space. It simply can’t be compared to the old market - this has got to be the future. But there is no covering at the back, which is not good when it rains, and I do wish we had a bit more space.”
JJ Cheney specialises in mushrooms and also offers soft fruit and salads. The firm used to offer a wider range of goods in the old market, says Brown, but he insists that “this has not affected custom”.
“If anything, it has made it better,” he says. “We have had a whole year in the new market now and trade is up on the previous year.”
In the last couple of months, JJ Cheney has started direct deliveries, supplying secondary wholesalers in Oxford and Reading and a selection of hotels in central London on a daily basis, which Brown describes as the main “nucleus” of the business. “On the whole, we are pleased with the move,” he adds.
Recession-wise, the market seems to be bearing up well under financial pressure. The barrier system allows the market to assess footfall and Day estimates that while more people are coming in, they are perhaps using smaller vehicles. “We have not lost custom, but the same customers may not be buying as much. People are still shopping for produce, but will buy what they need and will save money,” he says.
White agrees, adding that the recession has “made everyone sharper and keener”.
So what’s next for the market? Now the hard work is over, says White, it all comes down to “getting things ticking along”, and encouraging the council and the tenants to communicate and work more closely together.
One way the market is working towards this goal is with the appointment of a business development manager in October 2008. Peter Clarke is funded by the London Development Agency (LDA) to encourage farms from within a 100-mile radius of Western to get their produce into the market.
“The rationale is to encourage more regional produce into the market, and that sits well with the market’s strong exotic focus, as most of the traders who sell exotics from overseas source English-grown exotics during the summer as well,” says Clarke.
Around 20-30 new suppliers have started working with the market since his involvement. He believes that there is renewed interest in the wholesale sector, as the vulnerability of being solely a supermarket supplier has been exposed during the recession. “There are a small number of enormous growers who are mainly devoted to the supermarkets, but that can make you vulnerable,” he says. “There is a surprisingly large amount of different customers around when you scratch about - wholesalers, caterers, distributors and processors.”
Clarke has brought farmers to the market during trading hours, to meet the relevant wholesalers and strike deals together. “When the produce starts to arrive, I liaise with both sides to see if there are any problems to sort out - these are usually simple problems down to misinterpretation. There can be a difference between expectation and reality,” he explains. “However, after two or three consignments I step back, but I am always here if needed.”
Clarke has located growers using bodies such as the National Farmers’ Union and regional food groups. “I try not to have too many producers here at once as you can’t look after them properly,” he says.
One example of regional growers visiting the market came just last week, when a party of 10 farmers from Anglia visited the market in conjunction with regional food body Tastes of Anglia.
“We could sell more English produce if we had it at Western - the customers want it, so that is a good reason to try to get it,” says Clarke. “The traders will move heaven and earth to get what the customer wants. The government is also keen to encourage small- to medium-sized enterprises into public procurement contracts. Procurement tenders for school meals is an interesting proposition and we have four wholesalers here keen on that kind of business.”
Promoting the market is a key goal for WIMTA over the next 12 months and beyond, according toFisher. “Peter’s role is a good starting point and we have also got to beef up the Western International website. The last year has been hard but good - problems have been stopped in their tracks,” she says.
White adds: “We need to promote the market. We have achieved a lot in the last year and we have got the momentum going. Even 12 months on we are making changes, and if you are taking on board what the tenants and their customers say, that is really good for the market.”
EXOTICA NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Exotica Superfruit Ltd opened its site on Western International in October last year. The firm already operates retail sites in Slough, Reading, Southall and Hounslow, and had been buying out of the market for 30 years. Opening its own wholesale operation was the obvious solution.
“It’s been worthwhile,” says the firm’s Mickey Lal. “We have had good custom - the credit crunch is not really hitting the Asian community, which we predominantly serve.”
HILLS OVER THE MOON
The market move has worked out well for family firms JTS Hill Ltd and WT Hill & Sons. “It’s been a good move for us - we are in a much better position in this market,” says Jonathan Hill, owner of JTS Hill. “We are doing good business here.”
Jonathan and his brother Bill split their former business when the market relocated - a structure that both brothers agree has worked out for the best. JTS Hill and WT Hill & Sons now trade next door to each other as separate businesses.
“The restructure has worked very well for both of us - it has made us more efficient and professional,” says Bill. “Trade is very good. The custom keeps on coming in. Cleanliness is high in this market - the car park could be better and there is not enough space, but it is better now that there are two exits.”
SMT’S “POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE”
Raj Thakrar of SMT Fruit & Veg was generally happy with the move, and explains that teething issues on the first day of trading were resolved. However, the market is “not as big” as expected and there are some issues on parking as people “don’t want to shop around”, he says.
“But we have a business to run and we might as well get on with it,” he says. “There is a positive atmosphere here. If anything, SMT has benefited - we have a big space and more room, and our turnover has actually gone up.”
THE ONLY WAY IS UP FOR VITACRESS WESTERN
Chris Washer, branch manager of Vitacress Western, says the move has been “fantastic”.
“We are doing a great trade here,” he explains. “We have lost a couple of customers in the market because people are creatures of habit, but we have gained more than we have lost. If we compare week on week we are up in turnover.”
Despite the closure of a couple of firms shortly after the market opened, Washer believes there is a positive mood around the market. “There have been a couple of casualties but that is always going to happen,” he says. “We are more than happy. We have less space than we did on the other site but we have dealt with that and are getting on with it. There is no point moaning. The old site was very dilapidated and run down and this is a lot better. I really like it.”
Vitacress Western was ready for the move when it was scheduled, despite one or two internal problems with the telephones and the computers. “There are always teething problems but moaning doesn’t change that,” adds Washer. “We are here now and I like it.”
A&M FAVOURS FORMER MARKET LOCATION
Max Halai of A&M Fruit & Veg, pictured, says: “We did prefer the old site. Customers now park elsewhere and don’t come down. The market is cramped and we don’t get a shot at everyone. The units are bigger and cleaner, but they are too cramped.”
Around 75 per cent of A&M’s business is with caterers and the firm does direct deliveries to airports and film companies.
TRADE TICKING ALONG NICELY
Jay Thakrar says that he is “happy” on the new market, where he runs Jay Shipley Exotics and Chambers Prepared. He is looking to expand his premises at Western International.
“The market is still small and there are still parking issues,” says Thakrar. “The old site was better because it was bigger, but it was dilapidated and it would have been dearer to renovate that site than move to a new one.
“A few firms have closed but it is levelling itself off now and the market seems to be busier than it was. Generally, things are ironing out, but I wish we had a bit more parking.”
Trade is ticking along, says Thakrar. “As Jay Shipley Exotics, we are away from the walk-in public but we are doing well because people make the effort to come over and see us. We also have the bonus of our prepped business, Chambers, being right next door, and we are the first in when you drive into the market.
“Demand is up and things are looking better,” he says. “The move has sorted out the good firms from the bad. The market itself is very, very good. But there are too many one-man bands here. The council is not being choosy enough about letting in established companies and is more worried about getting the rent. The better companies will survive the recession - fly-by-night companies won’t.”
Thakrar also runs Shipley’s Fruit Services in Slough.
GROUP EFFORT FROM DHILLON FARM VEG
Harinder Singh, manager of operations and accounts at Dhillon Farm Veg (UK) Ltd, insists the new market is much better than the old.
“That was an old building - the environment here is much better, as well as the location,” he says. “However, the shape of the old market was better for customers to walk around. Now you have to go from one end of the market to the other. But we are the only one on this side [of the market] doing specialist Asian products, so many of our customers who buy from the market have to come and see us anyway.
“As we are specialists, we are still seeing plenty of custom and the move has been positive for us.”
MAKING THE MOST OF THE “FANTASTIC” OPPORTUNITY
Kanti Patel, pictured, runs Western Food Importers, which supplies non-perishable lines. “We are fine - we are busy and very proactive in doing new things,” he tells FPJ. “We have added new lines and are doing products that nobody else does.
“We are really into catering lines - olive oils, rolled butter, speciality cheeses, etc. “We are also looking at new ethnic customers.
“Twenty-five years ago, I put it to the council that they needed a non-horticultural trader to complement the market, and now everybody is talking about composite markets. All markets will have to go this way because nobody is talking about the traditional butcher, baker, etc. People want everything on one site.
“You have got to look at what the customer wants. We do all the things we can to serve them - for example, we are now doing rice. This market has a fantastic opportunity,” he says.
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