Gary Marshall, Chairman of the Covent Garden Tenants Association, visited Melbourne Market earlier this month to exchange views with market operators and wholesalers on shared operational challenges. Melbourne Market is the main wholesale fruit, vegetable, and cut flower trading centre in Victoria, Australia. Despite the distance between the two markets, Marshall noted that many of the issues facing traders are comparable.
During the visit, Marshall met representatives from the Melbourne Market Authority, including Chief Operating Officer Syed Shahed and Operations Manager Seini Malu. He also spoke with representatives from Fresh State, the member organisation representing Melbourne's wholesalers and service providers, including Chairman Shane Schnitzler of Produce Time, executive member Michael Barker of Barkers, and CEO Jason Cooper.
© Covent Garden Market Authority
Melbourne Market relocated from central Melbourne to Epping, around 19 kilometres from the city, approximately ten years ago. The site includes about 93,000 square metres of warehousing and hosts around 3,000 businesses, including growers, wholesalers, catering suppliers, and buyers. The size of the site requires internal transport, with a large number of electric buggies used by traders and staff.
Marshall observed that the market's scale offers more space than New Covent Garden Market in London, which operates in a more confined urban setting. He noted that while wider walkways and open areas allow for easier movement, the spread-out layout can also create operational challenges. Some traders indicated that the availability of unused land offers expansion potential but also affects efficiency due to longer distances between trading units.
Discussions with Melbourne-based traders highlighted similarities with challenges faced in London. These included the difficulty of attracting younger workers due to antisocial hours, reduced face-to-face trading, rising operating costs, and limited flexibility in newer market infrastructure to adapt to changing commercial needs.
One area of change at Melbourne Market has been trading hours. While many traders continue to work overnight, official trading hours are set between 3:00 am and 7:30 am. Marshall said this approach reflects a broader effort to address the sustainability of long working hours for both traders and customers. He noted that most fruit and vegetable businesses at Melbourne Market operate five days a week, while the flower market trades three days a week.
Marshall said these adjustments provide useful reference points for New Covent Garden Market wholesalers preparing to move into new premises. He indicated that long working days remain a challenge across wholesale markets internationally and that changes to trading structures may be necessary to maintain operational viability.
The visit also included a tour of on-site services at Melbourne Market, such as recycling facilities, vehicle servicing, fuel stations, food outlets, and retail supply stores. The discussions focused on operational structure rather than commercial promotion, with participants sharing experiences on market design, labour, and long-term functionality.
© Covent Garden Market AuthorityFor more information:
Covent Garden Market Authority
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7720 2211
Email: [email protected]
www.newcoventgardenmarket.com
