There have been widespread calls for farmers’ markets and traditional retail markets to put their differences aside to provide prosperous, composite markets.
George Nicholson, secretary for the Retail Planning Forum, who has more than 30 years' experience in markets, said the two sides needed to work together to ensure their combined futures and subsequently thrive.
Nicholson, who was instrumental in the successful turnaround of Borough Market in London, said flexibility in markets was key, as farmers' markets could not be expected to work five or six days a week.
He encouraged the audience at a seminar on reclaiming the marketplace at the National Food Markets Conference in Dewsbury that interaction between different markets to create more composite entities needs to happen.
Nicholson told freshinfo: “At Borough Market, we have restaurants, cafes and wholesalers that work seven days a week, then casual traders who work just a few days. I don’t see a problem with traders who are farmers coming along one or two days a week. In some towns the main and farmers' markets are reluctant to engage with each other.
“It's like at Borough, when the retail moved into the market the wholesalers were wary but actually some of our retailers have become wholesalers and some of these smaller markets can nurture this idea. Wholesale markets should not be underestimated as they are crucial to the restaurant trade. We need to have a richer weave in our markets and see how they operate.”
Chris New of New Market Solutions said the best way forward for many markets was to look at their location, improve their presentation, focus on speciality products and make sure prices are set at the right level.
He also said it was unlikely that farmers’ markets would team up with traditional retail markets in the near future, as the former often receive subsidies which may be at risk.
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