Queen Victoria Market to open later in a major shake-up of trading hours

QUEEN Victoria Market is set open later in the day under a planned revamp of trading hours. Here’s how it will work for shoppers.

QUEEN Victoria Market would stay open into the evening under a planned revamp of trading hours, breaking ­decades of shopping tradition at the heritage-listed site.

New market chief executive Stan Liacos has flagged a shift in trading hours, with stalls to be open later to cater for city workers, local residents and commuters.

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The shift would respond to consumers’ and traders’ needs and be part of a wider transformation of the market business, Mr Liacos said.

New market chief executive Stan Liacos said he had consulted with some of the 650 traders about the proposed changes

Heritage Victoria has stalled the planned $250 million redevelopment of the 140-year-old market, but Mr Liacos said changes to the way it did business still had to be made.

The Queen Vic had shifted from being a wholesale market for food and hospitality services to a retail centre, and people’s shopping habits had changed, he said.

He said he had consulted with some of the 650 traders about the proposed changes.

“My bugbear is that there’s no doubt that, for this market to prosper long-term, we are going to have to shift from ­traditional hours,” he said.

“This market has traditionally gone from 6am to 2pm or 3pm. We’ve got to be more of an 8.30am through to 5pm or even 7pm market, over time.’’

Mr Liacos also foreshadowed changes to the market’s car parking, to cater for more short-term stays for shoppers.

Mr Liacos said he was in it for the long haul.

“It’s about rewarding the customer and discouraging the commuter,’’ he said.

The current car park would become a public square under the current council plan for the site. Most parking would then shift to the redeveloped Munro site, bordered by Franklin, Queen and Therry streets.

Mr Liacos, who took on the market’s top job three months ago, said he was disappointed with Heritage Victoria blocking the redevelopment.

Mr Liacos replaced board chairman Paul Guerra, who took over as acting chief last July when Malcolm McCullough quit after 14 months.

The market has had three board-appointed and three acting chief executives in the past five years, Mr Liacos said he was in it for the long haul, aiming to see out the five years of the redevelopment, and five years on from that.

Mr Liacos formerly worked in management at Regional Development Victoria and Federation Square.

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