After years of often self-inflicted decline, the UK’s markets are showing signs of recovery, Krys Zasada, pictured, told delegates at the London Markets Symposium.
Complacency and a lack of desire to change, combined with a dearth of leadership and vision across the trade have played a significant part in the erosion of the importance of markets in the face of supermarket competition, he said. But the emergence of new leaders and much-needed market champions has heralded a new phase for the markets industry.
Underpinning the problems of the last 20 years has been an acute lack of a knowledge base for the trade, Zasada added. He has been instrumental, through his role as policy development manager at the National Association of British Market Authorities in establishing a new Markets Knowledge Base, which is developing a national markets strategy that will endeavour to link retail and wholesale markets more effectively and create a national promotion programme for markets of all types.
“There is no national brand for markets,” said Zasada, adding that the lack of a strong identity makes it difficult for consumers to understand the value of the outlets that provide a huge volume of their food, as well as other products.
Europe’s retail market network alone employs more than one million people and has an annual turnover of around €35 billion (£28bn). The wholesale food market sector is worth about €42bn, with the UK wholesale sector contributing nearly £4bn to that. “The lack of brands and of data means people don’t know that markets are as big as a Tesco or a Carrefour,” said Zasada. “Our combined strength as a sector is something we have to play to.”
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