Just a few minutes walk from the banks of the River Liffey is a well-kept Dublin secret - a beautiful late-Victorian covered market building, home to the city’s fruit and vegetable wholesalers since 1892 and today the largest market of its kind in southern Ireland. But for a number of years now, a question mark has hung over the future of the site, and traders are today no closer to knowing what the next few years will bring.
Dublin Corporation, now known as Dublin City Council, opened the market in the 19th century and continues to rent stands out to fruit, vegetable and flower traders. However, plans are afoot to convert the site into something altogether more retail-based.
The old fish market across the road closed its doors in 2005, with the council aiming to turn the site into an open market square with blocks of retail, office and living accommodation on two sides.
“Draft development plans for the most suitable planning and development of the general area were drawn up some years ago and are in the public domain,” explains Colm O’Grady, superintendent of markets at Dublin City Council. “Within those plans are proposals for the development of the original fruit and vegetable market building. Under the proposal, the building would be converted into a municipal market, where the main emphasis would be on retail trading, which Dublin City Council feels would be the best use for the outlet.”
Needless to say, wholesalers trading both within the old market and from premises in the surrounding streets are less than impressed by the proposed renovations. “Dublin City Council doesn’t want to be a landlord to wholesalers any more,” says Denise Clarke, chairperson of the tenants’ association and owner of Denise Clarke Flowers, which is based within the old market hall. “They feel this building is more suitable for a Covent Garden or Borough Market-style retail outlet, because of plans to build new apartment buildings in the surrounding streets.”
Given the current state of affairs, it seems very difficult for traders inside the hall to make any decision about their futures. “We have been in this state of limbo for years now, as long as these proposals have been in the public domain, and it’s really tricky for us,” says Clarke. “There is no specified date when this redevelopment will take place and never has been. The threat is just hanging over us - there isn’t even a guarantee it will happen.”
She explains that in the event of the plans going through, the council is unwilling to relocate wholesalers to a new site or even compensate them for the loss of their premises. “They are hoping we’ll fade away,” she says. “The fish market which used to be based just across the way has already gone. Are we destined for the same fate?”
Even though the council has told flower traders like Clarke, who already sell to members of the public, that their businesses could well suit the new plans for the market, she is sceptical as to whether any of the companies could afford the higher rents the council would impose on the redeveloped site.
“A market wholly for members of the public simply wouldn’t suit most of us. Although the fact the public can now purchase produce from us has certainly helped keep us going, we are really wholesalers at heart.”
According to O’Grady, it is up to individual wholesalers to assess the future of their businesses in the wake of the market’s renovation. “There is a possibility they can remain in the redeveloped market if they are in a position to adapt to retail,” he says.
Over the last 10-20 years, many of the firms seem to have jumped ship from the original hall, to set themselves up in larger, more modern facilities in the streets surrounding the market. There used to be 30 traders in the market itself, but now that figure stands at just 22, with around 10-12 larger companies operating from nearby sites.
“The atmosphere is really different here now,” says Clarke. “The smaller firms are gradually being gobbled up by the bigger boys as the supermarkets increase their grip on the produce industry, and more and more companies are now delivering. It’s all about consolidation, and companies are considering their costs and overheads. Lots of the firms here, especially those with premises not in the actual market itself but based around its perimeter, have set up warehouses in other parts of the city or even outside Dublin.”
The traditions and heritage of the market are gradually on their way out, according to Clarke. “The early-house pubs which used to be based around the building have largely shut up shop, and only one of the old horse and carts which used to transport produce from wholesalers down to nearby street retail markets remains.”
Health and safety legislation in Ireland has significantly changed the nature of the market, as compliance has become a vital tenet of trading. “This has generated change in the market, and has made the building safer and cleaner,” says O’Grady.
New traffic restrictions are also making trading increasingly tough.
“This central city location is great,” says Clarke. “However, a law has just been introduced forbidding five-axle trucks in the centre between the key trading hours of 7am and 7pm, and that is tough for wholesalers, who now have to buy a permit online to get around the rules, for e5 per vehicle per day.”
According to O’Grady, the new law regarding trucks was introduced in February. “It was set up in conjunction with the opening of a port tunnel in Dublin, which has been designed to bypass the city centre and therefore eliminate the need for trucks to actually enter the city during peak congestion hours.”
The lack of parking facilities around the area is a benefit to the market’s two biggest players, according to Marc Andrews, managing director of banana-ripening specialist Smyths. “Fyffes and Keelings are doing well, partly because the lack of parking spaces means any passing trade visitors end up leaving their vehicles at their premises - and this of course comes at a price,” he says. Smyths is soon planning to relocate the majority of its business over to its additional site in Blanchardstown.
One trader inside the hall, who declined to be named, tells FPJ: “Around 20 years ago this was a great business, but today trading here is like trying to sell fruits and vegetables in a chemist’s store. Buyers cannot park in here, because it was originally designed for horse and cart and not cars, so they never actually come to visit the market any more, and health and safety issues are making our life hell. There is no longer any passing trade, with all business conducted by delivery, and smaller companies in here are dropping like flies.
“If I was starting in this industry all over again, I would start a retail delivery service, bringing in produce directly from Spain and Holland. Nobody is interested in this business anymore - the fancy mall they are planning to construct is an inevitable part of modern life,” he adds.
There will be plenty of nostalgic memories wrapped up in the market if and when it is converted, says Michael Dowling of Michael Dowling & Sons, but business is simply not up to scratch any more. “The bigger boys are getting bigger and the smaller boys smaller, which means companies like mine are feeling the squeeze.”
Dowling hopes that if the conversion goes ahead, all the remaining traders inside the hall will move to a new location en masse. “We will need to see what the big boys do and follow them,” he says. “It would be great to have new premises on the major M50 motorway, just outside the city centre.”
If the market closes, feelings are mixed as to whether those produce companies based outside the site will stay put or relocate as well. Aiden Harford, director of Irish produce giant Keelings’s wholesale outlet, based opposite the old market, says: “In the future this whole area will be redeveloped and the wholesale market will move elsewhere. As Keelings believes strongly in this sector, we will be part of the new fresh produce market.”
Liam Giles, managing director of J Giles, explains how his father started trading from a stand inside the original market 55 years ago, but 20 years ago the firm relocated to larger facilities opposite the main entrance. “We are now in control of the company’s destiny, and not answerable to the council,” he says. “If the wholesale market is forced out, in my opinion there will be no relocation to another site. J Giles will stay put here regardless, as we need this central location. However, it will be a loss to us if the market goes. At the moment, if we have an order list of items, and cannot supply one item for whatever reason, we can complete our list by sourcing from another trader, as we all interact with each other. This will not be possible if the hall becomes a retail market.”
However, exchanges on whether the market will move are nearly as old as the building itself, according to Liam Glennon of Sam Dennigan & Co, based in Halston Street, next to the old hall. “I’m too young to remember, but people involved with the market over 40 years ago have told us that discussions on moving the market were raging even back then,” he says. “Certainly, the wholesale market has diminished in importance, but it is still very much alive and continues to play an important role in price-setting, especially during the early potato season. We do not see the wholesale market closing down, but rather more likely is that it will move to another location with greater facilities for unloading, assembly and dispatch. The recent five-axle ban (except under permit) is a very recent example of increased pressure to move.”
Insecure future aside, there are positive things for traders to take out of events over recent years. Ireland’s entry into the EU and adoption of the single currency has made life considerably easier for the majority of wholesalers. “Dealing in euros is a lot more simple,” says Clarke. Trade is now free and open, wholesalers agree, with no difficult customs or plant health barriers in place, and this has opened up access to a whole new range of produce.
The timing is fortunate, as Dublin’s catering and foodservice sectors are in the middle of an unprecedented boom, with traders now seeing demand for and selling products that up until a few years ago would have been inconceivable. The market has its very own sweet potato specialist, reflecting that trend, and changing demographics and immigrants from other areas are certainly affecting fresh produce consumption.
“Customers demand high-quality goods nowadays,” says Giles, “and the rise in foodservice and convenience stores is really boosting sales.” Exotic, niche products are becoming increasingly common sights around the market, and J Giles has tried to carve itself a market by supplying increasing volumes of these kinds of lines.
“We handle passionfruit, mange tout, lychees and avocados,” says Giles. “Irish people are travelling more now, and their tastebuds have opened up to a whole new kind of diet. However, I think it would be great if the Irish wised up in the way that UK shoppers already have to the quality and variety of their fruit.”
Despite enormous controversy and uncertainty over the future of the market, traders remain deeply devoted to its traditions. “It’s hard graft, but I love it here,” says Clarke. “We all really look out for each other and interact so well. Redeveloping the area to become a retail market would be a great blow to the cultural heritage of Dublin.”
SMYTHS ON THE MOVE
Smyths is one of four banana-ripening firms in the country, according to managing director Marc Andrews, but the only independent one. In just one month, the third-generation family company, currently trading from a site just next to the old market, will move yet more business over to its additional premises in Blanchardstown, 20 minutes from the centre of Dublin, which offers good access from the city’s new port tunnel and to the M50 Dublin ring road.
“Proximity to the market is much less important to us than it was a number of years ago, though there is still a significant volume of business generated there. We are merely relocating the greater portion of our business that does not need to remain in the city centre,” says Andrews.
“A growing proportion of our business now consists of deliveries, with a shrinking reliance on passing trade,” he continues. “Approximately one third of our produce is destined for foodservice and convenience store sectors around Dublin, one third to the multiples, and the remaining third consists of traditional wholesale. Bananas remain our single most important product and are distributed through all customer segments of the business.”
Smyths sources bananas from Costa Rica, Ecuador and English and French-owned production colonies.
Andrews explains that traders generally co-operate freely in the market. “There is a friendly rivalry - but of course we are all human and all have to trade. Business is good - Smyths has managed to grow despite the slump in the wholesale sector by branching into other areas.”
The introduction of the new transport laws have further confirmed the company’s decision to relocate, according to Andrews. “Banning trucks from the city centre during key trading hours is good news for Dublin in terms of reducing congestion and pollution, but not so easy for conducting business in the centre.”
But he is optimistic for the future of Smyths. “We’re just warming up. In the last two years we have started taking the company in a different direction, and because our staff are fairly young we are able to be flexible and adaptable. What we are really looking to do is further build up our balanced portfolio of customers.”
Smyths also operates a sister company called Nicholas Smyth in St Helens, Liverpool, which for the last 15-20 years has supplied bananas to the multiple and wholesale sectors.
CATERING FOR MULTICULTURAL IRELAND
Founded in 1976 by Sam Dennigan at Palmerstown, north county Dublin (the site of the company’s head office and also the central distribution centre to a major retail multiple), Sam Dennigan & Co has operated a site just outside the Dublin market in Halston Street since 1992. “Becoming a supplier to the retail sector was a natural progression for us, as we had a nationwide distribution network supplying the wholesale trade,” says Sam Dennigan (Jnr), grandson of the original founder. “Furthermore, the gradual decline taking place in the wholesale sector acted as a catalyst in seeking new opportunities.”
Since the mid-1990s, the wholesale and retail face of Ireland has been radically altered, according to Dennigan. Following literally centuries of emigration, a dynamic upsurge in Ireland’s economic well-being has led to a complete reversal of this trend, and to net immigration.
“Changing demographics have created a new, multicultural Ireland, altering the customer profile and leading to new demands and opportunities in fresh produce,” explains Dennigan. “We are now sourcing produce directly from Africa, Australasia and South America.
“Coupled with the rise in immigration, there has been a considerable increase in disposable income, with consequent implications for the fresh produce sector. For example, many believe the single biggest driver of fresh produce purchases in the next few years will be health and wellness, and its link with nutrition and obesity.” Having one of the lowest per capita consumption rates in the EU 27, this will provide great opportunities, according to Dennigan. Other issues driving sales are convenience, which has created a market of cash-rich, time-poor shoppers, green consumerism and ethical shopping.
“While there have been problems in the wholesale sector in recent years, there have also been opportunities. For those companies who can anticipate and adapt to change, the future is exciting. When FPJ visited Dublin six years ago, few could have predicted the changes ahead - the next six years are going to be equally fascinating,” adds Dennigan.
FLOWERING REPUTATION
Denise Clarke has been working in the market for around 30 years, starting out as an assistant at her father’s fruit and vegetable import business.
Some 12 years ago she set up her own specialist plant and flower business inside the hall, and today supplies shops, garden centres, corporate events and even television and film sets with products sourced mainly from Holland, Denmark and Ireland.
“I have built the business on word of mouth,” she tells FPJ. “Being honest and not promising what you can’t deliver is key to keeping customers coming back for more. It is also important to innovate - shops are continually looking for something different.”
Most recently, Clarke’s flowers have appeared in television shows such as Rough Diamond and Murphy’s Law, and films including The General and The Boxer. She is currently gearing up for what will be one of the busiest weekends of 2007, with St Patrick’s Day and Mother’s Day falling on consecutive days. Newer events like International Women’s Day are also boosting sales of flowers, as the increasing cosmopolitan nature of Dublin and influx of different nationalities boosts demand for different products.
“Business is good at the moment, but it’s a tough life here,” she admits. “I work a 60-70 hour week.”
GIANTS BELIEVE IN THE CAUSE
Director of Keelings Wholesale Aiden Harford says that the foodservice sector in Dublin is playing a key role in keeping the city’s wholesale business alive.
“We are now selling products like sweet potatoes, plantains and numerous other exotic fruits, which has been driven by the arrival in Dublin of different nationalities and therefore different produce demands,” he tells FPJ.
One of Ireland’s largest fresh produce companies, Keelings has operated in the Dublin market since the mid-1970s. From this warehouse, Keelings supplies and delivers to foodservice customers, wholesalers and independent retailers, selling fruits and vegetables sourced from Europe, the southern hemisphere, South Africa and various other locations around the world.
“All of our fresh produce is of premium quality to meet our customers’ demands,” says Harford. “We are trying to be a one-stop shop here, carrying most lines.”
At the same site, Keelings operates one of its catering supply units, providing a supply chain partner for the catering trade.
BEGLEY’S WANTS TO STAY PUT
Second-generation family business Begley Bros was founded 25 years ago, trading in a multitude of products sourced from all over the world. “We supply smaller companies, restaurants in Dublin and, indirectly, some supermarket chains,” says the firm’s warehouse manager Sean Conningham, who has worked at Begley Bros for over 20 years. The firm is located in a side street outside the corporation hall.
“It would be a great shame for the city’s history if the market was to close, although we have premises in a business park outside Dublin to where we would relocate,” says Conningham.
MARKET WOULD NOT BE MISSED
Small second-generation company Fruit Distributors is based outside the market hall. “We employ just six people,” says director Vincent Connellan. “All our produce is grown in Ireland or sourced from Dutch distribution hubs, and we supply restaurants, shops, schools and hospitals around Dublin.”
There is not enough business in the covered market to support a move to another location, says Connellan, as the low rents the companies are currently paying to the council would be untenable at another site. “Some traders outside the market would stay here, others would go. All those dealing with the supermarkets have other premises anyway.
“Sales are all done by delivery, and nobody comes up to pay the traders anymore like they used to. Catering is the thing to get into now, and it is imperative to get bigger or get swallowed up. The wholesale market would not be missed by the majority of Dubliners, as many do not even know it is here,” he adds.
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