It is refreshing to see that traders at Glasgow wholesale market have responded in a largely positive manner to the £6.5 million revamp from which they are set to benefit in 2010.

As you can see from this week’s feature on the market (p25), wholesalers are genuinely excited about the prospect of establishing themselves in a refurbished, fit-for-purpose facility that will better meet their own needs and the needs of their ever-expanding customer base.

Many of the firms in Glasgow have taken a proactive approach and are already investing in their businesses, to prepare for the vast opportunities ahead of them.

In the past, the wholesale sector has been accused of adopting a doom and gloom philosophy and being intransigent to change, but the response of the businesses at Blochairn Road suggests that attitudes may well be evolving. When we reported from New Covent Garden Market in October, the reactions of traders to proposals for the huge regeneration of the London site were similarly forward-thinking.

The recession has without question proven tough for the wholesale sector and, inevitably, there have been some casualties along the way. But those firms that have thought ahead and sought to embrace change are now well on course to grasp the long-term opportunities that will open up for them.