Sunday 24 April 2016

Can I Have Small Piece Please?


The changing face of consumerism is illustrated in many ways and this comment taken from the Herald Sun on 14th April 2016 refers to the era of the single portion food buyer.

Erika McKenna, 19, said the atmosphere and freshness drew her to the Queen Victoria Market. "It's a bit more leisurely than going to the supermarket, I enjoy it," she said. She said market produce was better value, especially when cooking for one. "I like that I can buy small quantities of things I need because I live by myself and cook by myself. "At a supermarket things like meat and butter are all pre-packaged, so I have to buy more than I need and I don't end up using it."

Bulk buying families have been the core of our fresh food business for decades, in fact probably since the setting up of the market. But things change and the rise of apartments, singles or couples living in them, and more frequent eating out, is no doubt impacting on the way we do business at QVM.

What does that mean for our market? Does it influence the design of our shops or their location? Do traders need to adopt different merchandising philosophies? What changes might our planners be contemplating as we look at renewal options? What advice do we need to give those planners?