This Week In The Market – May 16 2023

Edition 407

In this week’s Market News:

– Market Industry Open Day This Thursday
– Food Services Expo
– Upgrade to Boom Gates

Market News

Market Industry Open Day This Thursday

The Melbourne Market and National Flower Centre (NFC) will be holding an industry Open Day this Thursday 18 May from 5:00am to 8:00am. The Open Day will showcase all the Melbourne Market and NFC have to offer and aims to link local businesses with the market.

After the success of our last Open Day, registrations were snapped up very quickly and we are expecting 60 visitors on Thursday. This is the first time there will be specific tours for both the Melbourne Market and NFC, to ensure we can tailor the experience.

Watch out for the tours coming through the Market Thursday morning. They will be stopping by to say hello, as a way to introduce our guests to Market users and showcase the amazing produce available.

Tour participants will enjoy breakfast in the conference room after the event, giving them the chance to ask any questions and learn further about the opportunities at the Melbourne Market and NFC.

Food Services Expo Showcases Melbourne Market

Earlier this month the Melbourne Market participated in the Food Services Australia expo as part of Melbourne’s North Food Group stand.

The event is well known in the industry and had over 450 exhibitors showcasing the latest in food, drink, readymade meals, and equipment. Around 10,000 people attended the three-day event, which saw expert panels and the Chef of the Year awarded.

The Melbourne Market’s exhibit was colourful, fresh and allowed catering businesses, cafes, restaurants, manufacturers, and education institutions to sample a range of produce the market has to offer.

The event was designed to increase brand awareness and promote the upcoming Industry Open Day and resulted in over 300 attendees registering to find out more information about the Melbourne Market and the National Flower Centre.

Upgraded Boom gates decreasing time, increasing safety

You may have noticed the exit boom gates when you are leaving Gate 1 have a new look. They have recently been upgraded, with works to replace entry gates currently underway.

The new boom gates use a traffic light system to give drivers clear signals and include increased safety features. They are also easier to replace if they are damaged, meaning less disruption to Market users.

Once installed, entry gates will provide safer access for pedestrians needing to exit their vehicles to visit the Gate 1 Operations Centre.

The boom gates are the first of this type in Australia and have been designed with safety and efficiency in mind to get you in and out of the market quickly and safely.

Feature in the next A better choice! advertising campaign

A better choice! are currently workshopping a new advertising campaign, celebrating everything great about local fruit and veg shops over the years!

They are looking for photos of fruiterers and fruit shops from yesteryear! If you have any old photos from back in the day, whether you are a grower in the market or a greengrocer the A better choice! team would love to see them. Please email all photos to Zac.

Ride 2 Be Wise update

Grant Nichol has reached the finish line on his epic ride from Alice Springs to Darwin after covering a massive 1,510kms.

As Grant and his riding partner Rick reached the finish line, they were greeted by 800 cheering students from the local High School, their loved ones as well as Robyn and Matt Cronin. There were plenty of hugs and tears to go around as the enormity of their efforts sunk in.

Grant and Rick raised just over $123,000 in total! A special thanks to major sponsor Flavorite for tipping in the balance of funds to get to this incredible amount, surpassing their original target of $100,000!

Watch Grant celebrate with family and friends as he crosses the finish line.

Creating a Market we are all proud of

The Melbourne Market is a unique environment made up of people from diverse backgrounds. It’s a great place where people work hard, look out for one another, are generous, and enjoy having a laugh together.

We all want a Melbourne Market where everyone feels included, where people feel safe and are treated with respect. A place free of racism, sexism, discrimination, harassment, violence and bullying – and currently, feedback from many of you suggests we need to do better as a market community.

Let’s work together to stamp out the behaviours we don’t want and to continue to work towards building a Melbourne Market that we are all proud to be a part of.

We’re looking for a range of people, from business principals to employees, sellers, and buyers alike, to volunteer and join our existing working group who are leading this cultural change initiative with the MMA.

Our working group members come together for an hour once every 2-3 months to share their advice and perspectives, test ideas and continue to develop the strategy that will create a more inclusive Melbourne Market.

Together with our working group, we look forward to sharing campaigns and resources to assist businesses to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.

For further information and to join our working group click here.

We all have a role to play. We are Stronger Together.

Access Cards Non Transferable

To maintain a safe market, it is imperative that all Market users have completed the online safety induction and hold a valid access card.

Access cards are non-transferable and should only be carried by their rightful owner.

Shop and Win Campaign – Now concluded

That’s a wrap on this year’s Shop and Win campaign. With over 30,000 customer entries, it has been our most successful campaign to date!

Congratulations to our Week 8 Winners, Arnolds Fruit Market, who have a lucky customer taking home a Nintendo Switch Lite!

Customer entries have now concluded and we wait with excitement for the announcement of the “Retailer of the Year, People’s Choice Award” winner which will be announced on Wednesday 14 July.

Don’t forget you can now remove all Shop and Win collateral from your store.

Kanzi Apples Partnership

The A better choice! and Kanzi Apple partnership is still underway.

Retailers still have a chance to win a trip to a Kanzi packing facility, and an all-expenses paid lunch at Shanikas Italian restaurant for you and your team, on Friday 2 June.

Entry is simple:

Build your best display of Kanzi Apples. Take a few photos and upload them to social media tagging: Kanzi Apple Facebook (@KanziApple.Australia) or Instagram (@kanzi_au_apple) and @abetterchoiceaus.Don’t forget to get your entries in before the competition ends on Friday May 26.

Notice of Disruptive Works

As part of our regular cleaning and maintenance, works we wish to advise of cleaning work that will be carried out on Level 1 of the Buyers Walk between Lift 3 and Tenancy 80 from Friday 19 May to Saturday 20 May.

The affected area will be roped off and Lift 3 will not be accessible from 12pm Friday 19 May to 3am Saturday 20 May.

Thank you for your patience during this time.

Industry News

Australia’s first genetically modified fruit sent for approval

Scientists have submitted Australia’s first genetically modified fruit – a Cavendish banana – to regulators for approval. The fruit has been engineered to withstand a deadly fungus that poses a threat to banana growers worldwide. The banana, known as QCAV-4, has been genetically modified to resist Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4), which is threatening the multibillion-dollar Cavendish industry globally.

Click here to read more.

Melbourne Market Job Board and Community Notices

Do you have a vacancy to fill in your business?
Email submissions@melbournemarket.com.au for the position to be placed on our online job board.
Looking for a new role? Check out the online job board via the button below.