Today was fun! I had a stall at the pop-up market in Broad Street, Oxford. This was an event organised on the back of the Oxford Climate Forum conference that happened the previous two days.
When asked if I would like to be involved a couple of weeks ago the weather forecast was for rain! Well as it turned out the day was cold, windy and clear blue sky until around 2.30pm. At that point the sky became black and laden with rain and did it rain…….
Somewhere over the rainbow….
I spent most of Saturday cooking for the market and it was a good day with a great opportunity to introduce The Late Chef to a new set of potential clients.
The location in the centre of Oxford is wonderful with a great feeling of being a part of the city that has history and character.
Samba band to accompany the sales!
The day was a fabulous way to spend a bit of time in Oxford and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and to see some of my regulars from the Wolvercote and East Oxford markets.
These days are a great way of meeting customers and getting feedback on the products and on how I am doing. I have some new customers from today and I look forward to seeing them again soon.
If you haven’t been to a market recently you should. I suspect the market you last went to is now very different in terms of the range of produce available and quality of the products. Check out where your nearest local market is and go and see what is going on. You know it makes sense.
I have found that local markets are a great way to reach consumers and promote my food and services to them. Markets are also a great way for me to find new ingredients to incorporate into the recipes I prepare for both markets and catering.
The value to me is important as many of my clients are looking for the connection between food that has been prepared with locally sourced ingredients, sometimes free range and organic are an issue, but the “local” characteristic is key. Many people don’t think about it and I think one reason is they see celebrity chefs/cooks/writers talking about “local” but some of these high profile folks are aligned with major high street supermarkets and chains. Its a mixed message and the “local” element gets lost in the branding!
Within the Oxfordshire area, more specifically south Oxfordshire, there is a wealth of producers offering high quality ingredients from vegetables, meat, cheese, drink, etc. The local markets offer a unique opportunity for local communities to find and try these great products but the challenge for the markets is generating the numbers of customers attending these markets.
This was an issue raised in a recent BBC Food Programme on Radio 4. I find it ironic that the supermarkets have gone full circle with the advent of home delivery, local stores and specialist departments. This has seen the decline of the fishmonger, butcher, local shop etc. It has become a priority for me to find new local producers and to work with them wherever I can to incorporate their product as part of my business.
Another issue for me that I think is lost or ignored, although I hope Mary Portas’ recent report, The Portas Review, will create an improvement in the relationship between shops and market retailers. I have had this discussion several times with a shop owner and their attitude towards producers who use markets to sell their quality product was negative, to say the least. In fact the view was that market retailers are the opportunists and add no value to the high street. I completely disagree and believe strongly that markets and the high street are irrevocably intertwined. The demise of markets from the high street I think can be linked to the declines we have seen in the high street retailers over the last decade. Obviously, the economic whirlwind has also played a part in this decline.
Anecdotally, I have heard that Worksop recently revived the high street market, which had disappeared several years ago, and the revitalisation of the high street for both market and high street retailers is clear for all to see. I think that the Mary Portas’ project to regenerate 10 towns high streets with a combination of reducing barriers for market retailers, making it easier for consumers to get into the town, reductions in planning policies and taxes, funding, etc, will be a great opportunity to see the connection between the two types of retailers and the volumes of consumers entering the town centres to spend money. Perhaps Worksop is a case in point and one that shows it can be done.
In the meantime, I think that there are some councils closer to home who really need to rethink the impact of planning, policies and hanging on to ancient traditions on the current state of the economy in the towns concerned and make some radical changes. I think it is a waste to see a market square empty on a Saturday – this was a prime shopping time and still is for many, however, the lack of a Saturday market reduces the opportunity for consumers to take the time and go to town to spend. The only beneficiaries are the supermarkets and out of town chains.
There is an opportunity ahead for these towns to make the changes I believe are need to revitalise the economy of their towns. I hope that the councils, retailers, markets and other organisations who can help, make the much needed changes happen!
Please let me know what you think by answering this poll.
Having worked in large corporate environments, marketing to both external and internal audiences, and now for my fledgling business, I would argue that the same basic principles apply in the small business world as well. Press coverage is tricky and can backfire if you aren’t careful, however, in my experience I have be fortunate to generate more interest and real business through press and media coverage than through any paid advertising.
Plus the radio interview on BBC Radio Oxford on Jo Thoenis Afternoon Show earlier this year, which was a lot of fun to do! I was on the show again recently to promote the birthday celebrations for the local market I sell my product at.
Recently, I have made a big effort with the social media thing to start building an online presence which will expand the awareness and potential business opportunities for me. I continue to concentrate on the market and doing local events which will get my product in front of as many people as possible.
There are other ways apart from press, social media etc, to extend the reach of the business. One example is getting involved with other organisations such as the local district council and business support organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses, BusinessLink and others like the PRIME Initiative.
The PRIME Initiative is a charity set up HRH Prince Charles to help over 50s set up/start and grow their businesses. I first came across the organisation on the web when I was looking at starting The Late Chef. I read through articles and guides on their website www.primeinitiative.co.uk which helped me with planning and how to go about getting started.
I have been invited to present the story of The Late Chef at a PRIME event at the British Library on the 30th September. I am extremely excited about this as I hope I can explain my experiences and the benefits I have found being self-employed.
I also hope that this opportunity to promote the business will allow me to reach a wider audience and generate some new business opportunities.
A key element in starting my new business is the Local Producers Market in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. This market started three years ago and has grown with over 30 different stall holders. The goal of the market is to provide an outlet for quality local produce, be that fresh vegetables, meat, food or crafts. The market has interested talented people who are committed to producing product that people want to by locally.
Celebrating the 3rd birthday this weekend the occasion was supported by the Mayor of Wallingford and the symbolic opening of the market, cutting a specially made cake, was performed by Angie Best.
Angie Best and Bernard Stone, Mayor of Wallingford
The morning was very busy as I have been involved in setting the event up. I have acted as pr manager, marketing manager, website manager and with help I produced a booklet celebrating the market. I also had to prepare my own produce for my stall on the day. So I was extremely pleased with the success of the morning and the number of new faces we saw coming to the market.
The market is regularly held inside the Regal Centre and one of our new stall holders designed the decorations for the hall on the day. The effect was amazing. The comments from both stall holders and our customers was that the hall looked great and the atmosphere was just like a street market!
A new look and colourful feel to the market
The effort that everyone involved with the market paid off and it was great to see the market looking bright and there was a buzz all morning. This celebration market 3 years but more importantly it marked the opportunity for the market looking forward.
For me the market has provided a great way to not only sell my food but also sell my business and it has generated a good number of catering engagements. On a wider point there has been a rise in the cost of food especially in the supermarkets. How much of that is generated by the cost of “food miles”, packaging and other issues is difficult to identify but I believe that local producers markets have a great future based on the talent of the people and the need to have access to quality local produce that has travelled the minimum miles and created with a greatly reduced impact on the environment. The bottom line is that a growing percentage of money spent locally stays locally, benefiting the local economy.
Make sure you take advantage of your local market!!!
