Bringing someone in with no direct experience of fresh produce to manage the UK’s largest wholesale market might seem strange to some, but Daniel Tomkinson certainly knows a thing or two about multi-business sites.
Prior to taking over from Jan Lloyd as Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) chief executive, a post he took on only a few weeks ago, Tomkinson managed and developed the Eden Shopping Centre in Buckinghamshire. Here he oversaw a redevelopment not dissimilar from the vast refurbishment currently taking place at Nine Elms, in that work took place while businesses continued to trade. “The real relevance around that was the redevelopment aspect happened through live trading,” he explains. “So it was working with tenants and customers in a world that was evolving, a bit like the market is.
“It was almost a mirror opposite while developing the shopping centre – here you’ve got night time business hours and daytime project hours, and in the shopping centre it was the opposite. In the mornings the doors opened and it had to be a live retail environment, so the challenges were very similar.” In a career that has also included working for airport operator BAA at Heathrow, where he moved from commercial and retail into car parks and logistics, Tomkinson has encountered a huge range of businesses, as he puts it, from “independent sports retailers up to international car park businesses with 52,000 spaces, and everything in between”.
Joining part way through a complex redevelopment, and a job half done in some respects, arguably doesn’t look like the most appealing job in the world, but Tomkinson says he relished the chance to enter the food business. “I’ve had a lifelong love of food, but it’s not come through in any of the roles I’ve had previously,” he says. “This job appealed because it related to what I’ve done in the past, and brought them together in one role. But also the importance that the market plays in food within London and the home counties, and getting involved in that business is really exciting.”
One of Tomkinson’s biggest challenges will be navigating relations between CGMA and the tenants’ association, an area that has been somewhat fraught in the past following concerns over the redevelopment and planning process. Only this week tensions flared up again as tenants protested outside CGMA buildings with fears about access and parking. It’s a topic Tomkinson is cautious about discussing, no doubt hoping to begin with a clean slate, and he says only: “I met Gary and Jason and the tenants’ association in the first week, and I was very pleased to meet them, and I’m looking forward to growing that relationship. To be frank, at this stage it’s important to have a relationship with all the businesses. With the tenants’ association that’s a relationship that needs to work on all levels, and it’s making sure we have those levels in place.”
His newness to the role and self-confessed lack of experience in wholesale fruit and veg means Tomkinson is wary about speaking on industry issues, but it’s clear the market has already made an impression. “The two things that struck me almost immediately were first of all the amazing vibrancy of the place, the quality and variety of the food, and the flowers, it’s just the most incredible place to visit in terms of your senses,” he says. “Other than that, it’s the passion that you see in the businesses, which really will only deliver the best quality. It’s a real pride that you see in that regard, which makes you very happy to be part of it.”
The huge enthusiasm and growth in the restaurant sector is a trend that will benefit NCGM perhaps more than others – the market serves 40 per cent of London’s out-of-home eating sector – and Tomkinson certainly sees the potential. “I think consumers are a lot more interested in food now, and they’re enjoying buying it and cooking with it. And I think because of that you’re seeing growth in the independents, and of course that is delivered by people such as these,” he explains. “So I think that’s a really strong trend, people going back to butchers, back to greengrocers and markets, and knowing they’re getting good product, and enjoying the process of buying it as well.”
Although its new facilities will be up there with the best, there are a few more years of disruption before Covent Garden can take its rightful place on the world pantheon of wholesale markets. Tomkinson says his first priority is making sure that today’s market can prosper as well as it can, while delivering a market with a secure future. “It’s going to be a balancing act in some cases, to make those two happen,” he says. “Operationally, we recognise there are a couple of challenges coming our way, from the very fact that it’s a live business site and it’s a live development site. The real opportunity is as we go to the end of this year and the early part of next year, we start delivering some things back. So the New Flower Market will be a big step forward. As we move into that new stage we can demonstrate the market’s evolution.
“I think the quality and service of the market is already world-class, and the facility will catch up. It’s been required for a long time in terms of the infrastructure,” he says. “It will create a superb place with a superb future. And that’s really the driver behind the project, to give it a future, and give it that opportunity to grow.”
As new as he is to the role, Tomkinson is more than clear on the vision and purpose of the redevelopment, and if he has the same clarity of management, and can alleviate tenant concerns, the project has every chance of succeeding.
A life before produce
Tomkinson worked for airport operator BAA for 17 years, in roles ranging from retail and commercial, to logistics and car park business management.
Prior to joining CGMA, he was the director at Eden Shopping Centre in Buckinghamshire where he oversaw a redevelopment while businesses continued to trade.
The man behind the market
How do you switch off?
By walking the dog with a detour into the local pub.
Favourite item of fruit or veg?
Brussels sprouts.
What’s your signature dish when cooking?
Paella or Beef Wellington.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Not really had one except, possibly, the unpaid one of cleaning up after my children.
Who is your favourite singer/band?
Currently listening to Nick Drake but my taste tends to change.
