Two Significant Indigenous Men To Be Remembered In Market Ceremony

On 20 January 1842, 175 years ago tomorrow, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner were the first people to be hanged by the Government in the District of Port Phillip, the colony to become known as Melbourne.

Following their execution, the bodies of the two Indigenous men were transported down Franklin Street and buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery, upon which the Market now stands, in the newly created Aboriginal burial section (approximately located between E & F sheds near Queen Street).

A commemoration has been planned by the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee which includes a memorial ceremony at the T&M monument (installed on the corner of Franklin and Victoria Sts in 2016) at 12pm on Friday 20th January followed by a walk to QVM to lay flowers at the burial site at approximately 1pm.

More information about Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner can be obtained here - http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-melbourne/melbourne-profile/aboriginal-culture/Pages/tunnerminnerwait-and-maulboyheener.aspx

Heard Under The Sheds – 15/1/2017

Boom Fizzles – it would appear that the tourist inspired sales boom that occurred during the week after Tuesday 27^th December has been short lived with some dismal trading being reported in the top end (Specialty Merchandise) over the last week. We even have two reports of traders not making a sale during a trading day. The fickle nature of retailing continues.

Heat Policy – older traders who took advantage of the market’s heat policy and stayed away last Saturday (36 degree forecast) can expect a visit from their category manager to confirm their leave entitlement.

Angst Over Trading Days – traders seem to be divided over taking leave on public holidays with a number of traders upset that we are closing on Australia Day which falls on a Thursday, a normal trading day.  

More Angst Over Trading Days – a brief appearance on the QVM website of a notice saying the market would be closed on Easter Sunday was quickly removed thanks to a message from trader John Magno to CEO Malcolm McCullough.

These sorts of trading arrangements are usually ironed out in meetings between Trader Representatives and management but with the transition to the new Trader Representative Committee being delayed, the communication channels have suffered.

Language Test – a number of traders have found it necessary to use their limited knowledge of foreign languages as the market gets a welcome influx of international tourists. Visitors to the tennis seem to come from all parts of the globe and it is interesting that no matter where they come from, the phrase “Any cheaper?” is universally understood.

New Market Pavilion - public sessions have been organised to discuss the new temporary pavilion on Queen St. with representatives of the the renewal team and the pavilion architects on site at the Engagement Hub. Traders who have not caught up on the arrangements may wish to attend.  

When:  Wednesday 18 January, 5.30pm to 7pm
              Saturday 21 January, 10am until noon
Where: Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal Information Hub
              452 Queen Street, Queen Victoria Market 
              (Opposite the customer car park)

Have Your Say – click here.

Latest Retail News – 15/1/2017

Latest Retail News – 15/1/2017
1. David Jones to open boutique style department on Brisbane’s James St.
2. Harbourside Shopping Centre in Sydney to introduce sand beach concept.
3. Federal government announces ban on green or raw prawn imports following discovery of white spot virus in Australian prawns.
4. McDonalds sells controlling interest in China operations to state owned corporation CITIC.
5. Jeweller, Michael Hill, records mixed first half results.
6. China’s largest online retailer, Alibaba, looks to buy Intime Retail Group in entry to bricks’n’mortar channel.
7. Athletic apparel brand, Lululemon, reports strong 4th quarter sales.
8. Dubai Shopping Festival features world’s largest multi-media water projection display.
9. David Jones reports 4% sales rise during Christmas period.
10. New computer touch screen at CES allows users to “feel” fabric.

Technology In Retail

Technology has relevance in many industries and retail has been bombarded by innovations over recent years. Mobile EFTPOS machines, easy website building, and social media are just a few  examples that Queen Vic Market traders have experienced.

But innovation stops for no-one and we wonder if any of these recent ideas will have an impact in the future - 
- Screens that allow you to “feel” fabrics. Bricks’n’mortar stores have had  the comfort of knowing that the touch and feel of goods can only be experienced instore but that could all be about to change with this invention. that allows you to “feel” on a computer screen.
- Printing by burning paper – if you must have a hard copy then using laser beams instead of ink for printing could be a real resource/cost saver.
- Concierge wearables – the Carnival cruise ship line has introduced wearable medallions that will enable guests to do everything from unlocking a cabin door to making a reservation at a restaurant.
- Smart hair brush – the simple act of brushing your hair has been brought into the technological age with this brush that records your hair-brushing patterns, the amount of pressure you apply, and whether you are brushing wet or dry hair. The whole thing connects to an app of course.

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Assurances For String Bean Alley

The City of Melbourne website, Queen Victoria market Precinct Renewal, gives a pocket description of many issues related to renewal and is a great source for the public to keep up with plans and follow the proposed timeline.

A statement that particularly caught our eye refers to String Bean Alley -
"String Bean Alley and Queen Street will be turned into new market sites, offering exciting and vibrant new locations for traders and customers." The ongoing relevance of SBA will be welcomed particularly by current tenants.

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Lamb Advertising Sparks More Australia Day Debate

The lamb industry's Australia Day advertising has sparked significant discussion and if you haven't seen it, here it is . 

Given the variety of nationalities, not just of our Queen Vic Market customers, but also our traders, it seems appropriate to embrace our mixed heritage. This ad does it in a way that stuffy bureaucracy would find difficult. We particularly love the line from ABC cooking show host Poh Ling Yeow - "Aren't we all boat people?"




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Millennial Generation Finds Things Harder

A recent study of US Reserve Data shows that millennials are financially worse off than their parents were at the same time of life.

Despite higher rates of education, millennials are earning around 20% less than their parents were at the same age. At the age of 28 many baby boomers were earning wages sufficient to pay off a house while bringing up young children. Those children today are renting apartments, earning less money, paying off education debts and thinking of having children later.

Education levels have certainly risen although millennials with a degree are only earning slightly more than a baby boomer was without a degree.

Baby boomers can have sympathy for the difficulties being experienced by their children although the likely impact on their own lives can't be ignored. Baby boomers rely on millennials to pay the taxes that support their social security and medical payments and provide the economic stimulus that supports financial investments.

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Do You Respect Your Customers?

Do you respect your customers? Or do you think the majority are trouble-makers who don't really want to buy? Don't laugh - some traders talk in these terms, hopefully only between themselves.

One trader expressed a theory that on bad trading days the good customers are simply absent. All we are left with are the customers who are out to browse, have no intention of buying, and are wasting our time. They are always part of every market crowd but it is easier to put up with them when the good customers are also around. 

So instead of complaining about the bad customers, we should be complaining about the good customers who have decided not to come. It is a moot point but it might help navigate through those difficult trading days.

Getting back to the respect thing - I walked past a group of customers chatting in the aisle yesterday and one of them was telling his group that he found a product he quite liked but the trader wouldn't talk price. I'm not sure what "wouldn't talk price" meant. Was it simply that the trader wouldn't meet his offer or that he refused to talk price at all.

On my stall, we display a normal retail price and our discount price. If a customer asks for a price reduction we refuse but rather than disrespect their request we gone on to explain our pricing philosophy and why we choose to display a discounted price upfront. I'm sure it bores the hell out of some people but the majority seem to appreciate the explanation and the respect we show their request. After all, we know that many traders expect a to-and-fro bargaining session with every sale, and we can't blame customers for trying to work out whether we do the same.

Either way, a little respect usually ends up with a good customer exchange and often a sale. Even if they don't buy this time, they are likely to become one of the good customers that help create a good trading day next time.

And to conclude, the following graphic was recently published in the Harvard Business Review.

Note how grocery and food brands rate higher up the scale, specialty retailers rate around the middle and department stores lower down the scale. I wonder where market traders would come in?

By Greg Smith

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Cruise Ship Shore Tours To QVM

The cruise ship, "Celebrity Solstice", will be docking in Melbourne on Saturday 14th January and staying overnight.
Shore tours have been arranged to the Queen Vic Market on both Saturday and Sunday as follows - 

Queen Victoria Markets on your Own    -  4 hrs
0900 – 1300 hrs                     
0900                 Depart the pier and drive to Queen Victoria Markets
0930                 Arrive to the Queen Victoria Markets
1230                 Depart Queen Victoria Markets & return to pier
1300                 Arrive back at the ship in Port Melbourne.

Trader Comments - 8/1/2017

08/01/2017 14:22:02 J shed frying top "I am commenting on a different matter and that is the frying force of Sun in J shed. The eastern part of the J shed glass or plastic roof is not blocked the same as the western part, and because of the severe UV ray, trading is getting quite difficult on the sunny days, for the following reasons:
1: The customers can not stand in front of the stall to have a look at the merchandise and leave. 
2: The merchandise is getting faded by the Sun and every year there are tremendous losses to the trader.
3: The trader, being in always their stall, is facing the Sun every minuet, which is quite hard, unbearable and unhealthy that could cause dangerous health problem.
I think all the traders on this side of J Shed, need to have a safe and healthy environment to trade successfully. "
Thanks for your post.  You raise an important business and health issue, and perhaps one that the new J Shed Trader Representative could address in the TRC. J shed may be the only roofed sector of our market where direct sunlight is an issue.- Ed

08/01/2017 15:12:37 extended trading hour "I was prepared to trade until 9 but packed up at 7 as traders around me packed up before that. I think another alternative could be extending trading hours for 1-2 h every day for a week leading to Christmas. 23rd, and 24th can be 2-3 h. We could make more spaces to car park by parking in the CBD car park with early bird rate as well (for a couple of days when food traders are so busy and car park is packed). When I come in the car pack is full so I drive to a nearby car park and walk 5mins to my stall, the car park nearby is half empty as office workers take early holiday. So if on that Friday we don't have parking vouchers and if QVM management pay/subsidy for trader parking in CBD we will have many more spaces for customers for both food and GM traders." Henry
Thanks Henry. Some important points for our review of the Christmas trading period and indeed any other similar occasion when we are anticipating increased demand e.g. Easter. - Ed.

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MORE COMMENTS:
09/01/2017 12:37:26 J shed “Dear Greg, thanks for your informative comments over the years. Being a longstanding stall holder in J shed I make comment that issues with heat, fading of stock, birds poo ETC. are common to both sides of the shed, however we are a great market and not a shopping centre and I feel that everyone is becoming too precious. Please respond. 

Issue 2 re pre-christmas trading always has always will be about food.....we should be as GM traders thankful for what we get. Instead of people complaining, be thankful for what we have...the ability to trade without too many restrictions we should all try and be more positive it is a new year, the year of the dragon, wishing everyone trading success.”

Thank you for your comments. Part of your submission came through garbled so I hope your comments are correctly published. It is true that we are a market and we should always expect a certain "grittiness" (David O'Neil's term). But we also need to be mindful of customer comfort. 

J Shed has a roof to protect customers, traders, and their stock from the elements. If the roof is failing in that regard and some adjustment can be made without destroying the market atmosphere then we should address the problem. QVM's architecture will always guarantee a certain grittiness and unique charm although perhaps extreme direct sunlight and bird poo go too far. 

Incidentally, I have been reminded that J Shed doesn't actually have a J Shed nominee in the upcoming elections so we will need to ask how these sorts of issues can be addressed. - Ed.

A Surefire Prediction For QVM

The media is full of predictions at this time of year. You know the ones - "The stock market will crash in 2017", or "Why the stock market will continue to rise." Don't laugh - those two headlines have surfaced in respectable publications this week.

I don't want to claim the high ground but only one article appeared on Victraders last week and it related to a sales boom at The Queen Vic Market which was caused by an influx of tourists. In the madness of New Year analysis and predictions it was the only predictable thing I felt I could write about.

As a Trader Representative for the last 6 years I have lost count of the times I have looked deeply in the eyes of management or city hall executives and said "the busiest time of the year for Specialty Merchandise Traders is often not  the week before Christmas but the week after, as tourists hit town." Invariably I get a surprised reaction that borders on disbelief - that sort of disbelief that is politely accepting but you can see the brain ticking away and saying "how can that be right?".

Well, once again it appears it happened this year. I say "appears" because, of course, we don't have solid sales data, but certainly every Trader who traded on Tuesday 27th December will tell you the post-Christmas tourist created sales boom is alive and well.

Bright spots in retailing are few and far between these days and the quandary now is how that knowledge can be used to full advantage. But first, let's get things into perspective. The takings of Specialty Merchandise Traders before Christmas pales by comparison with fresh food. I think we all get that. The hype surrounding our food offer, particularly at that time of year, is well deserved and a joy to behold for every fan of retailing. But after Christmas, when fresh food traders are looking for time off, the Specialty Merchandise Traders need to take every opportunity and need the lions share of QVM resources to  maximise their opportunities.

The lesson is simple. While one sector of QVM shuts down on Christmas Eve, another is just getting ready for peak business. This market rarely sleeps. And that is a lesson for everybody associated with QVM including those traders who missed an opportunity to trade on Tuesday 27th December.

By Greg Smith.

HaveYour Say - click here.

Latest Retail News – 8/1/2017

Latest Retail News – 8/1/2017
1. Cotton On back-pays workers after mis-calculation.
2. US study warns more online shopping means more parcel delivery trucks on our roads.
3. Shavers Shop trims profit expectations.
4. Woolworths sells its fuel business to BP.
5. Controversy over McDonalds opening in Vatican City.
6. Pumpkin Patch owes $59.5m to ANZ according to receivers.
7. Kate Spade & Co seeks buyer.
8. Macy’s plans to close 68 stores.
9. Legoland Discovery Centre to open at Chadstone.
10. Citi says JB HiFi and Myer were winners in “lukewarm” Christmas trade.
11. Single Bluefin Tuna sells for $866,000 in Japan.
12. Non-carbonated soft drinks continue to grow faster than fizzies.

QVM In The News - 8/1/2017

NEWS
	Melbourne's hidden delights Clarence Valley Daily Examiner We were at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market, again. The day before, during our central business district jaunt, the aroma of the steaming seafood ...

WEB
	Barbecue Street Food Festival Queen Victoria Market Come to a free barbecue street food festival at the Queen Victoria Market, showcasing barbecue food traders, live cooking demonstrations, music and ...

NEWS
	Chinese New Year Melbourne Festival 2017 Hello Asia! (blog) To satisfy those Chinese New Year food cravings, head down to the Queen Victoria Market for a celebration of Chinese food. You can pick up some ...

WEB
	Sagra Del Formaggio - for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Queen Victoria Market Sagra del formaggio will be the perfect event to experience the marriage of Victorian wine and cheese in Queen Victoria Market's Dairy Hall by night.

Robert Doyle Plans To Double Cruise Ship Arrivals In Melbourne

In a move that could impact significantly on QVM visitation, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has proposed an island facility in the middle of Port Phillip that would allow a huge increase in the number of cruise ship passengers coming to Melbourne.

An island facility would provide a ferry point for passengers to be brought into the heart of Docklands rather than the current drop off point at the ageing Station Pier facility in Port Melbourne.

Mr Doyle said "It could be really a very vital part in doubling the number of these cruise ships that come to Melbourne. And in particular, as they get bigger and bigger, if we only have Station Pier - we are less and less attractive,"

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Lunar New Year At QVM

The Queen Vic Market is gearing up for the Lunar New Year with a range of market activities. Here are details received from our marketing department - 

Last year Queen Victoria Market participated in the inaugural Melbourne Chinese New Year Festival that was developed under the direction of the City of Melbourne. The Festival benefited from cohesive branding and an integrated marketing strategy aimed at the Chinese community, local and international, as well as the non-Chinese community.

Following the success of last year, we will participate as a major activation partner in the 2017 Festival with celebrations igniting at the Market from 27 January to 12 February 2017.

Throughout this time, there will be an illuminated display of mythical creatures (image above) on Queen Street and red lanterns hung in the Food Court. The deli hall window will also be themed with products from the traders.

A Hongbao Wishing Wall will be installed on Queen Street where market goers will be invited to take a red envelope and to scan a QR code to follow our WeChat channel. They will also be prompted to play a Scratch & Win game for the chance to win prizes and offers from the traders and a hot air balloon flight over Melbourne with thanks to Global Ballooning.

The celebration continues over four event days:

Saturday 28 January
10am – 12pm	Chinese Youth Society Lion Dance
	Lai Zhou Chinese Martial Arts Academy
	Chinese Performing Arts Development
	New Eastern Chinese Instrument Group
	Time Chinese Dance School
10am – 2pm	Chinese Fortune Journey - special offers & giveaways placed inside fortune cookies
12.30 – 1.30pm	Free cooking demonstration with Elizabeth Chong
Wednesday 1 February (Night Market)
7pm – 9pm	Hong De Lion Dance Association Dragon Dance
	Laizhou Chinese Martial Arts Academy
	Red-Crowed Crane Dance Group
	Beijing  Association Dance Team
	Operatic Performance Ms Shu-Cheen Yu
	Chinese Instrumental Performance
	Sichuan Opera Face Change Act
Saturday 11 February
9am – 3pm	FamFest Lantern Festival - street food, free kids activities and entertainment
Sunday 12 February
9am – 4pm	FamFest Lantern Festival - street food, free kids activities and entertainment

The Top Rated Victraders Articles For 2016

Victraders is a small player in the field of world news but we like to think that our articles are relevant to a particular group of people who love the Queen Vic Market. 

And our readership has remained strong in 2016 with some articles recording outstanding reader interest.

There might be many reasons why an article polls highly. It may be a new and exciting event, a controversial stance on a market issue, or simply because media readership, particularly social media, can go viral for mysterious reasons.

Here is our list of top articles for 2016 - Just click on the item to go to the article.

New and Exciting certainly featured with the following articles –

New TV Series – My Market Kitchen certainly gathered a lot of interest when it was announced back in May.

High Profile Chef Joins Market – the announcement of Scott Pickett’s new restaurant back in July was a strong contender.

Traders Lusting Over Temporary Market – this article raised great expectations for new trading opportunities amongst Specialty Traders although in the end our Fruit & Vegetable Traders got the gong.

A Grand Night For Traders – the inaugural Trader’s Awards Night on 1^st November caused quite a fuss on Victraders and all for its “feel good” content.

Controversy – there was no shortage of controversy in 2016 and with more than 600 independent traders, and a renewal in the wind, it was no wonder.

A Conflict Of Interest For Box Hirers – Box Hire operators started to get involved in the politics of renewal and this article took them to task back in June.

Leave Our market Alone – was an article about (well-intentioned) interferers in market matters and we understand the article was even mentioned by a lawyer in a State Government planning committee hearing. That might explain why it had such high readership.

The Anti-renewal Movement Is Becoming A Bit Of ACircus – another dig at the anti-renewal group and this time a group called STAG decided to enter the fray.

Let’s All Take A Deep Breath – was published in July and attempted to address controversies like those mentioned above. The fact that it rated so highly suggests that plenty of readers agreed with its purpose.

Trader’s Comments – trader’s comments are guaranteed to attract attention on Victrader’s and this article topped the category. It contains a few issues from a couple of our regular contributors. We shouldn’t forget that it is not just traders reading the website. Many groups, including city hall, value unfiltered trader views.

The TOP Articles – and this is where social media and outside interests influence readership figures.

Marketing Sub-committee Comes Up With Some Great Ideas – this was an article back in February about trader discussions on marketing and obviously expert opinion from those on the ground is highly valued across the web.

Council Elections – QVM Wins And Loses – this article concerned the loss of market supporter, Stephen Mayne, in Council elections. Stephen mentioned our article in his twitter feed and with nearly 30,000 followers it was no wonder we got a lot of connections.

So that is our list of most read articles for 2016. 

What does the future hold for Victraders? 

The next few weeks will be a good time to review the future of Victraders.com. We will shortly have a new group of Trader Representatives and an emphasis on communicating through local meetings. A new era in trader communication is about to start and it will be interesting to see how traders respond. 

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Gloves Off - Where Are The Retail Police When You Need Them.

Competition can be a wonderful thing but there are times when we need a friendly regulator in the retail industry to keep our over enthusiastic major players in line.

What is this with "back to school" during the first week in January? Do our major retailers have no heart? Families have barely started on their once a year chance to relax and get away from the trials and expense of bringing up young families and we remind them that in about one months time they are going to be broke again after forking out for school expenses.

It was barely the 3rd of January when my local shopping centre went full-on "back to school" with Target, K-Mart and others dedicating the front of their stores to school related merchandise. Hang on - we haven't had the holidays to get back from yet!

This is all part of a trend where a Christmas sales start in November, after Christmas sales start before Christmas has arrived, and every retailer tries to beat its competitor to the punch with no more logic to their timing than "I want to be first". What's next? - Easter eggs in January? Actually there is a social media backlash in the U.K. at present because Easter eggs are already on supermarket shelves.

This is modern retailing gone crazy, and seriously, consumers deserve something better. Which retailer is going to put their hand up and say "yes, I am going to be more responsible with my customers"? Not much chance of that which is why we need the retail police. Otherwise, on a serious note, the backlash from consumers could strike a big negative for our industry.

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Should We Ban Storage Boxes From Aisles?

Every dollar counts in retailing and fine tuning the way we conduct our businesses can reap rewards. Some traders have suggested that we need to fine tune the way we load and unload stock in the Specialty Merchandise sector of our market. Specifically we may be able to earn extra sales by finding an alternative to the practice of blocking customer walkways with storage boxes.

There are essentially two modes of using storage boxes. One is to locate them within the trader’s stall so that all packing and unpacking takes place internally. Many traders operate this way. The other is to locate boxes in customer aisles while packing and unpacking takes place. Those boxes are then removed offsite.

It is the second mode that causes problems as the boxes block customer flow in the aisle. And it is not just blocking the stall that is packing. Boxes in the aisle create the impression that the whole aisle is closed for business. Customers will generally look for the passage of least resistance and in the worst scenario, exit the market all together. Other traders may be ready to do business but the action of the aisle blockers is compromising their sales potential.

There are probably a number of reasons why traders choose to operate their boxes in the aisles. One is because that is the way they have always conducted their business.  Another is because they feel they need to maximise display space and they don’t have space for boxes within their stalls. The latter probably has merit for traders on the “short side” of aisles.

Some traders have changed to internal storage of boxes by cleverly making them display spaces so they get the convenience of onsite boxes without losing display space. Some traders may need to move to larger stalls to achieve the same result.

This problem is particularly noticeable on busy days when customers abound and there is still potential for sales after normal closing times. Keen traders will see the opportunity to generate extra sales and keep trading. It is not uncommon on Tuesday for instance for trading to continue well beyond the normal 2:00 pm closing time. That is fine as long as all traders are willing to keep trading, but if just one trader decides to bring boxes into the aisle, that tends to put an end to business for traders around them.

Nobody wishes to diminish trader’s choices when it comes to packing on time, but if bringing boxes into the aisle stops traders who want to keep on trading, then that is restricting somebody else’s choices.

So how do we fix this? The simple answer is to ban boxes in aisles. All traders would be required to store their boxes within their stalls. But rarely do we find simple answers to market problems and this is no exception.

Traders who pack and unpack in the aisles believe they have good reason for doing so. Some traders may only do it because they have always done it that way. They would be the easy ones to fix. Finding alternatives for the others will require careful consideration. However, the benefits in trading flexibility and the opportunity to increase sales turnover are just too important to ignore. 

Packing and unpacking stock is an inevitable logistics problem for a pack-down market but operational logistics should not get in the way of doing business. Clearing the aisles of boxes is an opportunity to give every trader freer trading choices.

By Greg Smith

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