London’s wholesale markets have coped well during the first week of the Olympics as they overcame fears of transport chaos.
New Spitalfields Market is just a stone’s throw away from the Olympic stadium and Jan Hutchinson, chief executive of Spitalfields Market Tenants’ Association, believes its work with TFL prior to the Games to secure exclusive haulage routes is now paying dividends.
“Yes, there have been horror stories on the road but traders are generally coping well, especially our catering companies who are doing great business,” she said.
New Covent Garden Market’s tenants are supplying the likes of the Games’ festival venues, the French yachts and the Italian Olympic team. And business manager Hannah Stafford was full of praise for the buzz the Games has generated so far.
“Feedback has been really good so far with business running much sharper; tenants are usually packed up and home by 6am, with the majority of traders working through the night,” she reported.
With the market doing overnight deliveries to cope with congestion, Stafford hopes the next few weeks can leave a lasting legacy.
“The freeing up of overnight deliveries through the TFL Freight Advice Programme is something the majority now want to continue as there is no congestion charge and it makes trade much more efficient; that would be a great legacy for the Games to leave on wholesale and would reduce congestion for the whole of London in the future.”
The government’s LOCOG Food Scheme requires the Games to use a high percentage of locally sourced produce and New Covent Garden welcomed Olympic food distributor Aramark in the build-up to the Games to discuss working with its traders.
“Olympic food distributors coming down to the market gave tenants the incentive to get all of their produce Red Tractor assured; the Olympics has certainly raised the profile of Red Tractor among wholesalers,” said Stafford.
Meanwhile, despite opening for seven days a week for the first time in its 1,000 year history, Borough Market told FPJ sales of fruit and veg have dipped since the start of the Games.
“Opening for seven days hasn’t quite had the desired impact with fruit and vegetable sales down; our regular customers seem to be staying away until the Games are finished,” concluded market manager David Gledhill.
