The UK’s second city centre has long been home to a thriving hub for fresh produce, but the Pershore Street site is falling into disrepair and it is in the hands of Birmingham City Council that the future of this bustling composite market lies.
One of its kind in the UK, Birmingham Wholesale Markets combines meat and fish as well as fruit and vegetables in a 21-acre site, just minutes walk from the iconic Bullring Shopping Centre and a vibrant and diverse mix of retail markets and foodservice offers.
This diversity can be experienced through the sights and smells of the buyers’ walk, from colourful Thai fruit and vegetables to the aroma of first-season durian destined for Birmingham city centre’s busy China Town district. Traditional fare still has its place, with both retailers and chefs taking on the local or regional drive and making the most of the vast volume of vegetables, fruit and salads that growers in the West Midlands can offer, alongside the more dominant Asian staples.
But with a pitch commonly referred to by both the council and traders as unfit for purpose, perfectly viable wholesale businesses are finding that their backs are up against the wall. A fruit and vegetable wholesale market has run on the neighbouring land since 1883 and the area has been a market hub for the thriving city centre on its doorstep from the time of the industrial revolution. However, built in 1974, the then new wholesale facility was victim to rather blinkered planning, like many wholesale markets built or refurbished in the UK at the time. Birmingham Wholesale Markets - which comprises 100 units - was constructed with “the past in mind”, says Simon Hughes, senior officer at the market.
“There were no articulated lorries when this [building] was designed in the 1960s,” he says. “And forklift trucks were unheard of.” That left the traders behind in the game even before they had started.
As the wholesale industry has seen from lessons in the past, waiting for regeneration in wholesale markets can be severely detrimental to the individual businesses within it. You just have to look at Hull Wholesale Market to see how some traders were held back for years with some not making it to the new high-spec, privately owned facility. Or Manchester’s New Smithfield market, which has been waiting in the wings for regeneration for years. It’s clear to anyone - spectator or not - that whether it’s a case of refurbishment or relocation, a decision has to be made regarding Birmingham’s Pershore Street precinct, and fast.
“We were promised a new market four to five years ago and we have now got to the stage where we have realised that it just isn’t going to happen,” says Julian Dixon, one of four brothers from a farming family to set up Dixon Brothers 25 years ago. “The council just hasn’t got the money; you can see that by the state of the place,” he adds, gesturing to the roof. “Everyone seems to be messing around and holding onto traditions for the next lot of lads to take over, but the next generation doesn’t have a hope in hell.”
Phil Howard, who has worked for Mack Birmingham for 25 years and was promoted to managing director a year ago, says that he is living proof that people can join the trade and work themselves up to enviable positions, but he admits that working conditions within the market leave a lot to be desired. “The market needs a change drastically - especially as we are serving the foodservice industry now,” he says. “The state of the floors is awful and we need an update or to move.”
Relocation rumours
Rumours have been circulating for more than five years that the wholesale market is to relocate, with FPJ first reporting that a move was on the cards in October 2007 and you can see the obvious damage that this imposed limbo has done. As if in testament to a wavering industry, the word “wholesale” has fallen off the Birmingham Wholesale Markets signage that greets visitors and customers as they enter the precinct - sign of the times, indeed.
“The sooner they make a decision the better,” says Bidwalla (Fruit & Veg) Ltd’s Mo Patel, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become part of the wholesale trade after finishing his degree six years ago. “We want to make some changes by the end of the year and of course, we don’t want to invest if we’re going to relocate.”
Bidwalla rents three trading units from the council as well as two for storage, and Patel envisages a new two-storey, double unit with a bigger fridge and room for storage. “This is a worthwhile business for young people to get into,” he adds. “Since I started with the business, we have set up a catering division called Red Cherry that specialises in Thai and Asian fresh produce, such as jackfruit, longon, Thai parsley and krachai root. It is a really interesting business to be in, but something really needs to be done about the conditions we work in.”
Since development plans were mentioned, fruit and vegetable traders have understandably become cautious with their cash and investment within the individually rented units. What’s more, the traders have been encouraged to hold out for redevelopment, with council representatives actively meeting with the tenants’ association to discuss future plans.
Widely discussed - although not confirmed by the council -is the plan to make parkland out of the historic site, which was home to the De Birmingham family more than 1,000 years ago before Birmingham Street Commission bought and swiftly demolished it to make way for a concrete car park in 1816. The urban living space, a concept that became popular around the turn of the last century, was put on ice when the economy and land prices took a nosedive. The “land deal”, which would have seen the market and its tenants relocated to an out-of-city site called The Hub in Aston three miles away from its present location, has been “in negotiation” for the last two years.
Again, the traders on the market are full of mixed opinions ranging from the end is nigh to the best is yet to come. “We are going to lose custom,” says Mohammed Naim Alvi, managing director of Amin Sons & Co. Ltd, which serves a lot of the retail market traders around the Bull Ring and the Rag Market. “If we moved outside of the city centre, our customers would have to get vans and go further afield. They may not want to do that. They may decide that somewhere else the same distance away is better.”
But other wholesalers see things differently. Howard seems to think that most people are singing off the same hymn sheet when it comes to a possible move. “Everyone is ready now and the majority of traders want to go for it,” he says.
After spending time talking to most of the traders on the buyers’ walk, the general consensus is that he’s right to think that way.
Chance for change
The tenants’ association’s reluctant hero, George Perry’s Maurice Prottey - or Moz as he’s known on the market - has sat on the committee for 15 of his 41 years as part of Birmingham’s wholesale market and as a result, most people point him out as the chairman of the group, although he insists he’s not. “We never replaced [previous chairman] Ron Ellis,” he explains. “We have quarterly meetings with the council to resolve any issues, but not everyone always turns up.
“As far as we know, it was all called off three or four months ago,” Prottey says of the relocation, as he sends through orders via an electronic handheld system. “It is disappointing because everyone was ready, but I think it’s due to government spending cuts. The thing is, it is going to take £2-3 million to stop the roof from falling down, so they may as well just build a new facility. But if we were to get a new market, it would have to work for everyone - it would be no good if we were charged double the rent because it is hard enough at the moment.”
But over at the council, change is in the air. Head of markets Steve Grogan seems to want to make a difference, with Mick Taylor close at hand with well-placed encouragement and 20 years’ experience in managing wholesale markets. Taking over from Matt Kelly, Grogan made his debut on the market four months ago, but has been a council man for years. He was ready to travel the world, when this new challenge was offered and he took it with the intention of really making a difference. Already he seems to be creating a buzz around the markets and his name seems to be on everyone’s lips.
“We believe in Birmingham,” Grogan begins. “And what attracted me to the work is the people and the enthusiasm they have. It is a genuinely exciting area to work in.
“We want to make Birmingham Wholesale Markets a focus for the Midlands. We have to up our game. We can be bigger and better than we are now. We have got to up our team and find the energy to move forward. I would not be here if I didn’t believe in the future of the wholesale market.”
And unfortunately, all this fighting talk is needed with the decision makers in the council being the furthest and most detached from the market. “The retail market sitting opposite the wholesale site is very important and the vibrancy of the wholesale market has a knock-on effect,” he continues. “It is very important that it is managed correctly. Retail traders just trolley the stock up from the wholesale market to the retailers at the moment. But I think a new facility will entice customers and traders and there is definitely a positive vibe on the market towards the move, although there are always going to be those that resist change.”
“We keep them informed,” says Taylor of the traders on the wholesale market. “And if we do not relocate, then the building will have to be refurbished. The traders need an infrastructure that can deal with the amount of transport they deal with but, in any case, is a wholesale market suitable for the middle of a city centre?”
Well, yes and no is the complicated answer of course. Pushing wholesale markets out of town and city centre locations does give the impression that councils are pretty much forcing them out of sight and out of mind in the eyes of the local authorities, as well as the average consumer on the street - blissfully unaware of how the supply chain works. But with towns and cities becoming more congested by the day, it does seem the sensible option. “There is a working group,” adds Taylor, “and we have to make sure that the business plan has to stand up, like anything commercial.”
Bustling market
Despite the battles it faces from every possible direction, Birmingham’s market is bustling. Customers and traders alike are obviously put out by the lack of room to manoeuvre and the water dripping from the roof, but from 4am onwards the busy environment is infectious and this is probably the most exciting fruit and vegetable wholesale market to be on in the UK. It makes you wonder exactly what its true potential could be if it were allowed to flourish.
“Companies here are weathering the storm and there have been no big failures through the recession,” says Taylor. “New businesses regenerate and a lot have stepped up to the challenge. Asian trade is very important to Birmingham and without it the market would be a lot quieter. You just have to look at the market at Ramadan now; 20 years ago it would have passed by, but now you can’t help but know Ramadan is coming. We are very ethnically diverse here. The future is not all doom and gloom.”
But sadly, one thing is certain for anyone to see: if Birmingham City Council leaves the market in limbo any longer and the traders don’t fight to be noticed, it will be game over for many on the market. “Birmingham City Council is committed to progress and developing a new wholesale market that fits the remit of the 21st century,” insists Grogan, who says that he is determined to see the market work in the long term. “We are currently working with our development partners to move it forward. It would take a massive investment to stay here - probably around £8 million - but would the traders invest? There needs to be a resolution and I believe it will be resolved in the next couple of months. We are pushing the issue because everyone, including management, needs to know where they stand.”
In the bigger picture of course, the council, the different kinds of traders and the customers have to realise that they have all got to work together to ensure the sustainability. “This market is important to Birmingham and it provides 3,000 jobs and is one of the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale markets in the UK,” says Hughes.
“This is one of the last places where a gentleman’s handshake stands for something. It’s worth fighting for.”
English flowers make a comeback for ken dale
Vitacress Birmingham Flowers’ branch manager since 1999, Ken Dale has seen many fluctuations in the flower game in the 48 years he has been on the market, but insists that trade has been up over the last couple of years.
“I made a decision a year ago to concentrate on English flowers again and now around 85 per cent of my stock is English, where years ago it was more like 50 per cent Dutch,” says Dale. “We still have a lot of good flower growers in Cornwall, Wisbech, Spalding and Cheshire, and English growers are particularly good at producing lilies, spray carnations, daffodils and sunflowers.
“The flower trade is better now than it’s ever been, but it very much works with the seasons. This last season for daffodils was the best season I’ve ever experienced; in January, the frost gave them a slow start, so they were short for the first couple of weeks, but this meant that you could charge £1 a head for indoor flowers for weeks.
“Our stock changes day by day, week by week, but we are consistently in touch with our English flower growers on a daily basis.”
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