You have been heavily involved in the formulation of the project. How did it transpire and what do you see as its principal goals?

The concept came from discussions we were already having with other London markets on the many common issues that we face. We compare notes and look for solutions and, as a group, we are committed to doing something to tackle these issues. This has led to what will happen this month. Everybody recognises the merit in doing what we are going to do and has been prepared to put themselves out to make it happen.

The aims of London Markets’ Month are consistent with the markets’ agenda, both domestically, through the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) and internationally through the World Union of Wholesale Markets. NABMA in particular published a very interesting report on the economic and social importance of markets last year.

We are right on brief. Wholesale markets fit perfectly with the healthy eating and access to food agendas, but there is not enough recognition of that by those who are responsible for them.

We are very fortunate with Wandsworth Council in that they recognise the importance of a market that employs more than 2,500 people in the area; but that is not always the case.

The core aim is therefore to raise awareness of the value and role of wholesale markets. They are seen by most authorities as a revenue generator, but too often the value in investing in the future development of markets is not being recognised. Supermarkets have obviously dominated the scene for many years now, but they are not the solution for everything. Wholesale markets still have a huge role to play in local communities, both as an employer and a provider of food to ethnic communities and smaller families, for instance, that may not have access or have their needs catered for by a large supermarket.

We can still fill a big gap in the market - it might not be as big as it used to be, but it is still there.

Is there a real desire for retail and wholesale markets to improve their relationships with one another?

I recently sent a letter to the relevant people calling for a restructure and relaunch of the Association of London Markets, which would bring the retail markets into the fold. There has been a very positive response to that and another element of London Markets’ Month will be to see the feedback we get from local authorities and retail markets to our proposals.

How will London Markets Month benefit New Covent Garden?

As a market generally, we want to enhance our connections with the customer base. The tenants have good relationships with their own individual customers, but as an authority, we are trying to improve our existing lines of communication with local authorities and market authorities to promote trade between markets. That will come from having a database that will be created during this process. I don’t know who all of the people are yet, and we need to know that before we can give them the information they need to attract them to the market. We need a better understanding of what they want and expect of a wholesale market, so that we can keep them informed of the progress we are making and how we can fulfil their expectations.

We obviously have the redevelopment project to communicate, although it is still subject to government approval. Creating a new market is not just about the bricks and mortar, it’s about providing a successful trading platform and we want to engage all stakeholders in the process.

Catering is obviously very important to the fruit and vegetable market, but retail still represents a significant part of what our tenants do. The market as a whole increased its turnover by 7.5 per cent in its last financial year and, within the overall figure of £602 million, the fruit and veg market’s turnover rose by 0.5 per cent to £161m - a fourth successive year of growth after a period of steady decline. Our goal is to bring wholesale markets and retail markets closer together, and that can only be good in the long term for wholesalers.

How are the tenants getting involved?

We have organised two events in the market, which are both continuations of projects we started previously. The fruit and vegetable market held the second of our Local to London events, on October 1, which are designed to forge closer links between growers and suppliers in the South East to the market. And on October 22, the flower market will hold the latest in a series of events to showcase the traders and their products, and inspire and inform flower buyers across London.

We have not particularly asked tenants for any immediate action to support the rest of London Markets’ Month, but each time we hold one of the events in the market, more tenants are getting involved, which suggests that we are doing something right.

There is a model on the continent where, for instance, in Hamburg the wholesalers have a very close relationship with the retail markets and there are open days for the public that allow them to see the value and diversity of the wholesale market to their community. That could be the next stage here.

There has been a lot of talk of composite markets in the last few years, but not much has changed. Smithfield (meat) and Billingsgate (fish) are also involved in this project - how will that benefit it?

We do have people who trade meat and fish at Nine Elms, but obviously for many reasons we are closer to New Spitalfields in a lot of ways because the core of our activity is fruit and vegetables. I think it is very important that we take a holistic approach to promoting wholesale markets though; there are so many common benefits we offer and common challenges we face. And consumers at the retail markets we are targeting go shopping for food, not just fruit and vegetables, meat or fish, so a united message from wholesale markets will resonate with the authorities and traders.

Borough Market is also a hybrid, with a wholesale and retail side, so it will add another factor to the equation.

So, do you expect London Markets Month to take a regular slot in the capital’s calendar?

I hope so. I think all of us will take a view on that after we see how the next month pans out. If the level of response from both the local authorities and the retail markets is as positive as we expect it to be, then I would definitely expect this to happen again.

Not only that, but this could be an initiative that spreads across the UK. If it works, we will be more than happy to share our experiences with markets around the country.