This Week In The Market – 16 February 2021
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| In this week’s Market News: – Stage 4 restrictions at the market – Free merchandiser for your retail store – Annual access renewals Market News Current COVID restrictions at the Market In response to the Victorian stage 4 lockdown, several changes have been made to market operations to reflect the current restriction levels. – Fitted face masks must be worn at all times, both in indoor and outdoor settings – Market access is limited to essential personnel only; this means market tours are on hold and visitors are unable to enter the market – Market cafes are limited to take away service only – Only one person per electric vehicle/buggy – Market users must continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines, keeping a distance of 1.5 metres from others The MMA is monitoring information being released by the Victorian Government and DHHS. When more is understood about the transition back to COVID normal after the lockdown period, the MMA will review and communicate any relevant market operational changes via the regular channels. Last week, before stage 4 lockdown was announced, the MMA announced the re-introduction of temperature screening. This was in response to the lack of compliance regarding face mask wearing from the market community. As of Sunday 14 February: – All persons must undergo temperature screening upon entry – Gates 2 and 3, as well as the P1 pedestrian turnstile is closed, with all vehicle and foot traffic required to come through Gate 1 to undergo temperature screening prior to entry Exposure sites If you have attended one of the known COVID exposure sites, as listed on the DHHS website, you must follow DHHS guidelines as they relate to isolation and testing. You must not attend the Melbourne Market until given clearance by the DHHS. Penalties for non-compliance Failure to comply with market COVID restrictions and social distancing guidelines may result in your access to the market being suspended. Click here for more information about penalties for non-compliance. For the sake of everyone’s health, businesses and livelihoods, let’s work together, follow the rules and make sure we keep the Melbourne Market safe, open and operational. Questions Detailed information regarding COVID operational changes at the Market can be found at www.melbournemarket.com.au/melbourne-market-coronavirus-covid-19-response/. Lunar New Year 2021  The Melbourne Market wishes our Asian community a Happy Lunar New Year with best wishes and good fortune throughout the year of the Ox. Whilst we were unable to bring in the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne to perform the traditional lion dance and blessings through the market, we had planned a scaled-down COVIDSafe celebration for today. Due to restrictions imposed by the stage 4 lockdown, that celebration is regrettably unable to go ahead. We hope to reschedule the COVIDSafe event for a later date, and we will keep you informed.  Get your store merchandised free of charge!  A better choice! is about to launch a national ‘Shop & Win’ promotion commencing in March. The promotion offers a weekly prize draw, encouraging consumers to shop at their local fruit and veg shop. As part of the campaign, there is a range of point of sale material including wobblers, posters, decals, signs and stickers for member stores to use in-store to promote the competition. A better choice! is offering members the use of a professional merchandiser, who will visit your store with the merchandise and complete the instal free of charge, making hassle-free and saving you time. If you would like to participate in this promotion and have A better choice! point of sale material installed by a merchandiser for free, then you must register. There are limited spots and merchandise packs available, so be quick! Click here to book today! If you would prefer to install point-of-sale yourself (ideal for regional stores) or would like electronic copies of the campaign for your online promotions, email abetterchoice@melbournemarket.com.au with your details. Annual access card renewals  Two to three weeks ago Business Principals would have received a letter asking them to review all access cardholders currently listed with their business. The purpose of the review is to provide the MMA with details about which cardholders to renew, and which to remove, in the lead up to April’s market-wide access card renewal. If you have not already, it is important that you respond to this letter, so you are not invoiced for cardholders who are no longer in your employment. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service Centre. Deep clean of the Buyers’ Walk The annual deep clean of the Buyers’ Walk is due to finish today after the cleaning team progressively made their way through the Buyers’ Walk over the past week. Final cleaning will occur in front of tenancies 129 -155 after trade today between 12.00 pm – 4.00 pm. Thank you to all the businesses that ensured equipment and produce was moved from the front of their tenancies as we work to provide a cleaner Market for everyone. Fire Warden training  Business principals can nominate themselves, or a representative from their business, to attend a fire warden training course, free of charge. Those who attend the training will gain the skills needed to be a fire warden for their business in the event of an emergency. Email amanda.flannery@melbournemarket.com.au if you’d like to attend. When: Wednesday 3 March, 5.00- 6.00 am Where: Conference Room, Ground Floor, Administration Building Cost: Free of charge Brush up on your indoor plant knowledge  With the popularity of indoor plants soaring over the last few years, many greengrocers and independent supermarkets are taking advantage of the emerging trend and stocking a range of plants in their retail stores. Novice plant enthusiasts everywhere are trying to keep their plants flourishing at home, so the local greengrocer may be coming across questions from consumers, perhaps about lighting, styling and pest control. Below we’ve come across some great articles for greengrocers keen to brush up on their indoor plant know-how! How to find the best light for indoor plants – All plants need some light to create energy and survive. But not all light is created equal. This article details the types of light in the home and where to best position different species. 15 indoor plants that are native to Australia – with the ‘buy local’ sentiment continuing to grow, consumers may be keen to carry that theme into their plant purchases. Read on to find out which native Australian plant species can not only survive but thrive indoors. How to treat common indoor plant pests and fungus – While a plague of pests and fungus can make short work of an indoor plant collection, there’s no need to panic. This article lists all the common problems and solutions your customers might see with their indoor plants. The Great Indoors – Plant Styling – Interior designers use shape, texture, and colour to make a space look and feel a certain way, and you can apply the same principles to plant styling. There are a number of growers and wholesalers at the Melbourne Flower Market who sell a wide variety of indoor plants. You’re sure to find everything you need for your indoor plant-loving consumers under the one roof at the Melbourne Flower Market. Industry News Australian horticulture tops A$15bn  The value of Australia’s horticulture sector grew 4.5 per cent in 2019/20 (12 months to 30 June 2020) despite challenges such as Covid-19 and bushfires, according to Hort Innovation. The industry body has released its latest Horticulture Statistics Handbook, which showed the value of the sector rose from A$14.4bn (US$11.1bn) in 2018/19 to A$15.1bn (US$11.6bn) in 2019/20, despite a production volume decreasing by 1.5 per cent. Read more on the Produce Plus website. Hong Kong Customs seizes cherries falsely marketed as Tasmanian brand 43 Degrees South  A Tasmanian cherry producer believes technology is finally starting to thwart counterfeiters in Asia, where lower grade cherries from outside Australia are being packed in boxes imitating premium Australian brands. Last Thursday Hong Kong Customs seized 196 boxes of cherries labelled as Tasmanian grown and packaged in boxes imitating Howard Hansen’s 43 Degrees South brand. Read more on ABC News. Melbourne Market Job Board  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. View full online job board Ask the MMA If you’ve got a question for the MMA email it to: submissions@melbournemarket.com.au. Follow us  |
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