Birmingham City Council is at the centre of a dispute over new opening hours at its wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market, which some customers say are damaging their businesses.

A new 4am starting time for trading at the site was enforced from January 2 this year, to the dismay of a large number of secondary wholesalers and retailers who use the market. They say the switch from relaxed opening hours is making deliveries late, causing them to trade less in the market – and ultimately losing them business.

The new opening hours were agreed by a majority vote of tenants in the market site.

However, the council's market's manager Matt Kelly said there was a clear rationale for move. 'A handful of traders were getting into the market early – and some customers were on the pitches before the traders themselves – which was causing us difficulties with security,' he said.

The change was in response to a request by the Birmingham Fresh Produce Association [the tenants association] that we review the times and a poll of traders.' But the council did not seek similar approval from the estimated 13,000 customers it receives every week.

Peter Drinkwater of growers and retailers DE & DM Drinkwater, said: 'I have been buying produce from the market for over 20 years but the money I'm spending there is going down and down all the time.

'We find ourselves in a position where it is impossible to buy, load and leave the market in time to return to our premises with enough time to process orders for our retail customers.' Some secondary wholesalers and catering suppliers have also been badly hit.

Forbes McQueen of AM Bailey said: 'In 20 years in the trade this is the worst news we have had. Since we moved to Stratford we must spend at least £1 million every year in the market. We weren't consulted about the move – but at the end of the day [it's companies like ours] that pay the tenants' wages.

'We also deliver produce onto the market, which we are allowed to unload before 3am. But then we have to take a 17-tonne lorry out again, find a place to park up and wait to go back in at 4am. They won't even let us in to get in for a cup of tea from the market café.

'We've been offered another meeting on April 17, but how much damage do they want to inflict on our businesses before then?' Jim Smith of Worcester Produce, a secondary wholesaler operating out of Worcester has organised a petition against the change. 'People are complaining that we are late getting the produce to them,' he said. 'We have already lost three or four restaurants. If you are late getting to them they will just find someone else.' Ron Ellis, ceo of the BFPA said the majority of wholesalers were 'delighted' with the new regime, ending as it had 'the Ronnie Barker, open-all-hours way in which Birmingham market was run.' He praised the council for creating a thorough system of control for the market, where traders did not feel obliged to man their units for most of the day.

He said the association was aware of the complaints; and offered some hope to disgruntled customers.

'There have obviously been repercussions for a small minority of visitors who come long distances to the market. There is a strong possibility that special dispensation may be given to certain people – the criteria being the distance travelled,' he said.

Three letters on this subject can be found on page seven and by accessing the story on www.freshinfo.com. Access is free to Fresh Produce Journal subscribers. l

Topics