Camberwell Fresh Food Market traders say high rent and low visitor numbers are killing their businesses
Camberwell Fresh Food Market traders say they’re feeling the squeeze, with falling visitor numbers and high rents almost enough to convince some to shut up shop. But their calls for a freeze on annual rent increases have gone unanswered.
Inner East
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Camberwell Fresh Food Market traders say they’re struggling to make ends meet and high rents charged by Boroondara Council are driving their businesses into the ground.
Angelo Loretto, of Camberwell Meats, said visitor numbers at the market had dropped and his sales were down 30 per cent compared to last year.
Market manager Fitzroys real estate weren’t doing enough to attract customers, he said, and high council rents meant businesses were doing it tough.
“There’s been three different managements and they all say they're going to do something, but they’ve done nothing, no advertising. What they’ve done is a pittance,” he said.
“We’re happy to surrender our lease, that’s how bad it is.”
But Boroondara Council spokesman Bruce Dobson said rents charged by the council were based on commercial property valuations and negotiated with tenants.
Fitzroys staff regularly visited the market to meet with traders, he said, and figures showed visitor numbers were up, with 11,287 people visiting the market on average each day the market was open last financial year compared to just over 9300 the previous year.
Peter Tripatgis, of Camberwell Market Seafoods, said two traders left the market this year, including one in March and a fruiterer last month.
He called on Fitzroys to release visitor figures and to host monthly meetings with traders to review the market’s performance.
“They just tell us numbers are up. Sales are down but numbers are up, how do you explain that?” he said.
Ken Li, of Sushi by Yoyo Sushi, said retail was struggling across the country, not just at the market, and the council should take that into account and not raise the rent each year.
“Every year it goes up, it’s not fair,” he said.
Jenni Bache, of Elementary Skin Care, said market management failed to take traders’ advertising ideas on board, including highlighting her store’s move to phase out plastic.
While Commercial Butchers owner John Lentini said customers complained to him the market had gone down hill, and he said the vacant stalls, some of which had sat empty for months, were a bad look.
“It’s like hitting your head up against a brick wall. All shop keepers want is help,” he said.
Fitzroys referred the Progress Leader’s questions to the council.
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Mr Dobson would not say if the council would consider freezing annual rent rises, which increase by up to 4 per cent each year, but he said the council would proceed in accordance with its established lease agreements with tenants.
The council spent more than $4.5 million refurbishing the market in recent years, he said, and the market’s $89,874 marketing budget included advertising at cinemas, on the radio, in newspapers and on social media.
“Fitzroys have held the managing agent role under fixed term contracts since (the) council
acquired the Camberwell Market in 1996,” Mr Dobson said.
“The managing agent is continuing to actively seek tenants for the two vacant stores and intends to finalise this process soon.”
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