This Week in the Market – edition 187 – 10 July 2018

In this week’s Market News:

Market News

Improving safety in the breezeway

The MMA is undertaking a project to realign handrails and update the line marking within the breezeway between the trading floor and flower market. The purpose is to improve traffic management and stop forklifts rounding the blind corners at speed.
As of Monday 16 July, temporary barricades will be placed between the existing handrails and the canopy pillar (see picture) on both the north and south end. The temporary barricades will be in place until the project is complete.
MROs will be stationed at each end of the breezeway to educate drivers and direct traffic when the temporary barricades go up.

Market trading hours

Market trading hours are back up for discussion and a consultation process is currently underway.
In the past fortnight we asked each business to complete a survey to let us know their preferred option for trading hours. The survey has now closed, thank you to all those businesses that took the time to complete it. The next step will be to review the survey results with the Market Advisory Committees during the upcoming meetings. For updates on Market trading hours, talk to your advisory committee members and be sure to read ‘This week in the Market‘.

MMA wins workspace innovation award

As well as providing a well-lit Market, the MMA’s LED lighting upgrade project on the trading floor has won a facility’s management award for workspace innovation. The FM Innovation Awards recognise and celebrate the most ground breaking and innovative facility management ventures across Australia and are judged by a panel of industry experts. The MMA’s LED lighting project involved upgrading 4,250 light globes to LED to reduce electricity consumption by 42% while providing higher lux levels. The project contributes to tackling the ongoing challenge of rising energy costs.

The Fresh Five

This week we talk to Market vetra Frank Tropeana from Baxter Valley Produce.
1. Your role at the Melbourne Market: I’m the owner here at Baxter Valley Produce and we sell bunchline vegetables, things like coriander, parsley and radish. I’ve been in the business now for over 50 years.
2. If you could only take three fruits or vegetables with you to a desert island, which would you take: As far as vegetable go I’d say broccoli, and oranges and watermelon to help keep cool.
3. When was the last time you bought flowers for someone:  I bought flowers for my wife on Mother’s Day from here at the Market, I probably don’t buy her flowers as often as I should though.
4. Tell us something that is on your ‘bucket list’: I suppose I’d like to do more travelling, Europe, Canada, America. My wife and I have done a bit of travelling already, so when I get some time away from this place I’d love to do more.
5. What do you most enjoy about working at the Melbourne Market: The atmosphere and the people, the great thing about the Market is you can tell someone to get lost, the next day it’s all forgotten and they’ll come back and see you again.

Industry News

Custard apple season sweeter than usual

Australian growers of custard apples are reporting sweeter than usual fruit this season. The custard apple season kicked off in April, with plenty of the creamy and vitamin-rich fruit now available in stores. The custard apple was recently featured on the Melbourne Market Facebook page. Click hereto read more about the bumper custard apple season.

Tomatoes take out number 1 spot

Tomatoes have taken out the top spot in the inaugural Produce Plus-Nielsen Top 20 Products. The Top 20 analyses the performance of the top fresh fruit and vegetable products in the Australian market over the last 12 months and is based on dollar share of total fruit and vegetable sales.
Tomatoes were an unsurprising winner with 95 per cent of Australian households buying the fruit.  Bananas came in a close second with 92% of Aussie households purchasing the fruit, despite significantly higher prices recorded during the period.
The top 20 included many fruits and vegetables you’d expect to see, but some surprises too; herbs ranked at number 11, yet oranges and kiwifruit didn’t make the cut.
Each of the Top 20 products have been allocated their own page in a 24-page supplement, with industry leaders supplying commentary on each category featured. The top 20 supplement can be found with the Produce Plus magazine, which is free from Melbourne Market Express Convenience.
You can also download a copy of the Top 20 for a limited time here.

Go For Gold with Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit

To increase consumer awareness of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit’s delicious taste & vitamin C benefits, TV advertising has been running in Melbourne from May 27 until July 29 on networks 7 & 9.
Watch Zespri’s TV ad on YouTube here
Deliciously sweet & juicy Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit is currently in season & available at the Melbourne Markets via Flavorite Marketing, La Manna Premier Group & VB Sculli Group.

            A long time ago in a grocers far,
far away….

Ask the MMA

If you’ve got a question for the MMA email it to submissions@melbournemarket.com.au.

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