By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
FRUIT and vegetable traders say parking issues and a lack of advertising are killing their trade at the renovated Dandenong Market.
Their woes coincide with the market’s general merchandise traders, who have threatened strike action against soaring rents despite depressed trade.
As reported in the Journal last week, 85 of 110 general merchandise traders have petitioned for a 50 per cent rent reduction, backdated to last July.
Alex Alexopoulos, who runs Alexander Produce, said the market had “the cheapest meat, fish and deli section in Melbourne, but nobody knows about it”.
“If the market advertised the prices, people would come flocking back.”
Mr Alexopoulos, who has been at the market for 20 years, said the band of ‘grey ghosts’ issuing tickets was a customer deterrent.
“The parking officers are writing a lot of tickets. You see tickets on a row of 10 cars. They’re customers who don’t come back.”
He suggested a pay-as-you-leave ticketing system, with boom-gates on the car park — a system in which “no one gets a fine”.
“Why not do what other places do and have the first two hours free?”
Mr Alexopoulos said rents were at the right level if “the market was busy”. He named a long-time seller who recently left the market because he was making a loss.
Dingley-based grower and seller Raif Memedouski, who has run the 100-square-metre Kiko’s produce stalls for 15 years, said he was up to three months in rent arrears — which equates to up to $48,000.
He said his sales had dropped 30 per cent since the market was renovated in 2011.
He also blamed the parking system, set at 40 cents an hour. “For the sake of 20 cents, customers are getting $100 fines. While over at the plaza, there’s free parking?”
A long-time fruiterer who did not want to be named said his rent soared from $2000 to $3000 a week — which is three days trade — after the market renovations finished. He said his trade had dropped 40 per cent since then. “Everyone is in rent arrears here. The rents are like a shopping centre except with dirty concrete, a tin roof and open to the elements.
“This used to be the best market in Melbourne — for the amount of stock that used to go out of here, it was more than all the other places put together. Now no one can earn a living here. It’s like they don’t want us to be here.”
Greater Dandenong councillor Maria Sampey, on the recently established market board, said the parking system would be discussed by councillors this week.
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