Tenants at new Sydney Fish Market told to prepare to open weeks before Christmas

Sydney Fish Market’s famous Christmas seafood marathon risks being thrown into chaos, after retailers were told to be ready for business at the new location just three weeks out from the holiday frenzy.

Sydney Fish Market’s famous Christmas seafood marathon risks being thrown into chaos, after retailers were told to be ready for business at the new location just three weeks out from the holiday frenzy.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the more than 40 tenants at the new $836 million market have been told to prepare for customers by the first week of December, marking the first time a date has been floated for the market’s opening.

While the 24 new tenants organised by the NSW government will be ready to go, some of the 20 existing tenants moving over from the old market may miss the boat, with only a handful reportedly locked in for a December start date.

An industry insider close to the fishmongers said even if they were ready on time, they will have less than three weeks to adjust to working at the new site before they are slammed with the biggest sale of the year – the market’s 36-hour “Christmas Seafood Marathon”.

“Opening in the first week of December is going to be a s**t-show, it’s already chaos during Christmas at the current site,” they said.

The government have committed to holding the first day of trading at the new fish market this year. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“All these guys are expected to organise themselves in (three) weeks to do a Christmas sale – it will be a disaster for everyone concerned.

“It’s absolutely ludicrous. I don’t think they should start before February so they have a couple of months to trade before Easter, which is another big sale, [let alone] Christmas.”

An industry insider has warned tenants will not have enough time to adjust at the new site for the Christmas boom. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Fishmongers have previously raised issues about the multi-level design of the market, saying it will take longer to move food between floors, particularly during busy periods.

A number of other disputes with the Sydney Fish Market management and the state government have been blamed for stalling preparations at the new site, which the government has committed to opening by the end of the year following project delays.

However, a spokesman for the Property Minister rubbished claims tenants will not be ready by December as shop fit-outs begin next week, months ahead of the ribbon cut.

People queue for seafood at the Sydney Fish Market in Pyrmont on Christmas Eve. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“Even though some existing tenants did not provide their designs for fit-out within the agreed timeline, we remain on track to deliver the building and for the first day of trading to take place this year,” the spokesman said.

“The new Sydney Fish Market has been built to an exceptionally high standard and designed to be able to comfortably manage 6 million visitors a year – more than double the current visitors of the old site.

“The reason (the market) is ‘chaos’ during Christmas is because the old site is chaotic. It is well past it’s used by date.”

A Sydney Fish Market spokeswoman did not deny its retailers may be falling behind, but said management was working “closely with tenants to prepare them for an end of year opening … which assumes a pre-Christmas opening as per the project schedule”.

Originally published as Tenants at new Sydney Fish Market told to prepare to open weeks before Christmas