Borough Market traders evicted
James Hatts Tuesday 17 May 2011 7.45pm
Piece in The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/05/artisanal-food-fight-londons-farmers-market-showdown/239023/
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/05/artisanal-food-fight-londons-farmers-market-showdown/239023/
Editor of the London SE1 website and SE1 Direct newsletter
Pieces of Eight Tuesday 17 May 2011 8.11pm
emmab wrote:Apparently Flour Power have been told they have to stop trading at the end of May because of building work but have not been given an alternative pitch.
I heard that they are being booted out for "getting too big and corporate". They're currently situated almost opposite "Hotel Chocolat" (can somebody remind me how many shops Hotel Chocolat have now?)
nigel Tuesday 17 May 2011 9.10pm
nigel wrote:The borough market website also needs updating as E.A Sugarman are still listed as a wholesaler and I'm pretty sure they have gone.
Borough Market website updated after I spotted they were still listing wholsalers two months after they had left .Bit sad that its left up to the individual to proof read their website
ano trader Tuesday 17 May 2011 10.23pm
Pieces of eight,
Re Flour Power I expect corporate politics are coming into play with Peter Wilkinson,the new owner also owns Feng Shui read:
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/opinion/1023460/luke-johnson-ingredients-sucess/
Re Flour Power I expect corporate politics are coming into play with Peter Wilkinson,the new owner also owns Feng Shui read:
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/opinion/1023460/luke-johnson-ingredients-sucess/
eDWaRD WooDWaRD Tuesday 17 May 2011 10.32pm
ano trader wrote:Pieces of eight,
Re Flour Power I expect corporate politics are coming into play with Peter Wilkinson,the new owner also owns Feng Shui read:
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/opinion/1023460/luke-johnson-ingredients-sucess/
///
...Pizza Express , Strada , Belgo, The Ivy, Giraffe... So this guy is / was involved in at least 3 restaurant chains that have at least 2 if not more branches between Waterloo Bridge and Shad Thames... Smells like a (relatively) small version of that (conspiracy) theory that in reality about 3 men run the world.
emmab Tuesday 17 May 2011 11.10pm
Oh Luke Johnson, please God, if ever there was a man to blandify (not a verb I know), then it is him! How thoroughly depressing. Ano trader well done for spotting that.
JayBee Wednesday 18 May 2011 12.31am
Stream of semiconsciousness here, but for what it's worth.....Borough Market is so local for me - 10 minutes walk. Maltby Street is less attractive because of the distance I would have to travel. I don't see the problem with someone trading at both. The Ginger Pig (best sausages ever IMHO) has a branch in Marylebone and others I think elsewhere. If somewhere like Maria's Cafe goes (btw, there's nowhere like Maria's), then we're done for and can look forward to vile ersatz polyfoodrethene dressed up as real food. I feel a demonstration coming on. Against the management!
Boroman Wednesday 18 May 2011 1.31am
JayBee wrote:for what it's worth.....Borough Market is so local for me - 10 minutes walk. Maltby Street is less attractive because of the distance I would have to travel.
Agreed, as I live west of Southwark Bridge Road I'm unlikely to go two bridges further over for my produce. In reality there's only a narrow sliver of SE1 within which BM and Maltby are anywhere close to equidistant.
Which suggests to me that the evictions are mostly about BM protecting its "brand" and the franchise that it might think it's entitled to over the entire South Bank provision of non-supermarket foodstuffs.
Brendan D Wednesday 18 May 2011 7.47am
I'm quite the opposite, Shad Thames.
I go to BM on a Friday via work and take a few things home (fish, chicken). Otherwise the main shop is done at Maltby St on Sat am. I used to drive down to BM to do this, but parking is more restricted and its just too crowded and inconvenient. Maltby St is a blessing. Tried B Sq, but the quality isn't up to it.
I go to BM on a Friday via work and take a few things home (fish, chicken). Otherwise the main shop is done at Maltby St on Sat am. I used to drive down to BM to do this, but parking is more restricted and its just too crowded and inconvenient. Maltby St is a blessing. Tried B Sq, but the quality isn't up to it.
George Nicholson Wednesday 18 May 2011 11.47am
Following Mr Wilkinson’s contribution, and as the former Trustee and Chairman of the Borough Market board and development committee throughout the development of the Borough Market in its present form, I have the following comments to make.
Unfortunately there is a rather large gap between Mr Wilkinson’s rhetoric and the reality on the ground – as the comments on this page seem to confirm rather loudly. This is a man who is happy to include on the CV on his website the awards of the Borough Market – achievements in which he (as with all the present crop of trustees) played absolutely no part. He now has the nerve to talk about righting the mistakes of the past decade, the very period when he wasn’t a Trustee, and when the market was growing into what most people recognise as the Borough Market – and when it was the recipient of the awards. Reason enough for people to treat his and his so called “management's” words with caution.
The truth, is that the fruit and vegetable wholsale market – the foundation stone on which the current market was built has been wrecked, bringing to an end centuries of tradition on the site. An even earlier act of folly was the exit of Tony Booth – probably one of the most respected greengrocer/caterers in London, a trader who absolutely typified both the quality and knowledge of product that made the market special. If the replacement is a symbol of Mr Wilkinson’s new dash for quality, we can all make our own conclusions. Incredibly we are being told this is part of a strategy to expand the wholesale market, a story that no-one with any knowledge of markets believes.
The latest incident with the 7 “casual” traders being forced out of the market is another example of Mr Wilkinson’s complete lack of knowledge about markets. Casual traders are the backbone of most markets. By definition, a casual trader trades in other locations. It is the nature of the beast. The loss of 7 quality traders is bad enough, but it also offends one of the key principles the previous Trustees had in building the new retail market from scratch. That was not to simply grow the size of the market – it went from 10 traders to 150 traders in my period of office – but crucially to encourage those businesses to grow. This has been one of the true success stories behind the Borough Market, something the current mismanagement looks like putting in reverse.
As to hot food, there is confusion among the Trustees as to its purpose. On those early cold winter days, when the market first traded on Fridays, it was the only way to get new customers to come to the market. As the market grew, there was always a healthy discussion about the balance of offer and how best to cater for the very different customers who come to the market on different days of the week. It is a difficult balance, and worth a visit to other markets in Europe to see how they tackle the issue. I have no faith in Mr Wilkinson and Glenis Reagon getting it right, following their recent moves in this direction.
As to the future, I am proud of what we achieved as Trustees, turning a financial and physical basket case into probably the UK’s finest food market. In my view the largest mistake made by the Trustees in the last decade will prove to be the appointment of Mr Wilknson, his co-Trustees and the present management. One thing is sure, the magic has gone.
For those who can’t wait for earned additions to Mr Wilkinson’s cv, why not visit Brixton Market or Whitechapel Market and other London markets – as well as Matlby street. There is a lot of good food out there!
Unfortunately there is a rather large gap between Mr Wilkinson’s rhetoric and the reality on the ground – as the comments on this page seem to confirm rather loudly. This is a man who is happy to include on the CV on his website the awards of the Borough Market – achievements in which he (as with all the present crop of trustees) played absolutely no part. He now has the nerve to talk about righting the mistakes of the past decade, the very period when he wasn’t a Trustee, and when the market was growing into what most people recognise as the Borough Market – and when it was the recipient of the awards. Reason enough for people to treat his and his so called “management's” words with caution.
The truth, is that the fruit and vegetable wholsale market – the foundation stone on which the current market was built has been wrecked, bringing to an end centuries of tradition on the site. An even earlier act of folly was the exit of Tony Booth – probably one of the most respected greengrocer/caterers in London, a trader who absolutely typified both the quality and knowledge of product that made the market special. If the replacement is a symbol of Mr Wilkinson’s new dash for quality, we can all make our own conclusions. Incredibly we are being told this is part of a strategy to expand the wholesale market, a story that no-one with any knowledge of markets believes.
The latest incident with the 7 “casual” traders being forced out of the market is another example of Mr Wilkinson’s complete lack of knowledge about markets. Casual traders are the backbone of most markets. By definition, a casual trader trades in other locations. It is the nature of the beast. The loss of 7 quality traders is bad enough, but it also offends one of the key principles the previous Trustees had in building the new retail market from scratch. That was not to simply grow the size of the market – it went from 10 traders to 150 traders in my period of office – but crucially to encourage those businesses to grow. This has been one of the true success stories behind the Borough Market, something the current mismanagement looks like putting in reverse.
As to hot food, there is confusion among the Trustees as to its purpose. On those early cold winter days, when the market first traded on Fridays, it was the only way to get new customers to come to the market. As the market grew, there was always a healthy discussion about the balance of offer and how best to cater for the very different customers who come to the market on different days of the week. It is a difficult balance, and worth a visit to other markets in Europe to see how they tackle the issue. I have no faith in Mr Wilkinson and Glenis Reagon getting it right, following their recent moves in this direction.
As to the future, I am proud of what we achieved as Trustees, turning a financial and physical basket case into probably the UK’s finest food market. In my view the largest mistake made by the Trustees in the last decade will prove to be the appointment of Mr Wilknson, his co-Trustees and the present management. One thing is sure, the magic has gone.
For those who can’t wait for earned additions to Mr Wilkinson’s cv, why not visit Brixton Market or Whitechapel Market and other London markets – as well as Matlby street. There is a lot of good food out there!
This thread has been closed