Greengrocers are disappearing from our high streets and it’s a massive concern. Fresh food sales are plummeting. Everyone from Western International to Covent Garden and Spitalfields are suffering because of the dwindling number of greengrocers.

So how has it come to this? Many traders are letting the world pass them by; they’re not picking up the necessary skills and embracing new technology. And banks treat small businesses disgracefully.

Supermarkets have been allowed a free rein for too long – they’ve put convenience over health. Somewhere down the line things have gone wrong. All of these things are now colliding, and we independents have seen this coming for a long time. You see some great kids working in the wholesale markets, but as far as younger people getting into the greengrocer sector, there are hardly any.

I lost part of my business five years ago, and since then I’ve learnt to adapt to a changing world. Even big companies are finding it difficult to source good-quality applicants. We have this obsession that the markets have to open at midnight and stay open until 10am. They have become more designed for caterers who supply restaurants. If you want the best stuff you have to be there between midnight and 2am.

When I look back at the 1990s the markets themselves created this environment. You couldn’t get small quantities of produce. A lot of people went out of business because of their shortsightedness. We need a bit of a clean up.

People have become more “click friendly” but online sales for fruit and veg will never work unless you are buying very small quantities from a trusted source. It’s all about bespoke shopping.

People’s buying habits have changed so much in the last decade. “Is it washed?” is one of my least favourite questions. I try to explain why it isn’t, that you wouldn’t want produce washed in chemicals.

A lot of the markets and caterers are using Twitter now, and I use it to communicate directly with customers and suppliers, bypassing a lot of traditional working hours. That sort of thing will happen more and more. We are now introducing a new system where people can order via iPad in store. What we’ve got in Chelsea, which is very different, is a lot of people who cook from scratch and suddenly they realise it is not cheaper to buy the ingredients from the supermarket.

We also do ‘veg surgeries’, putting us in touch with local schools and hospitals. It’s basic marketing and everyone should engage in it.

Supermarkets are here to stay. What you have to do is use what they do to your advantage. You need to treat everyone as if they’re your only customer. Offer something extra – customer service and a little bit of cheek go a long way. —