Market construction gets on stallholders’ nerves
SOME stall owners at Wellington’s Capital Market are fed up with their landlords, a company owned by strip-club owners the Chow brothers, with one labelling the business ‘‘money hungry’’.
The market tenants are accusing the brothers’ property company, CGML, of allowing construction at all hours, ratcheting up rents, and not listening to their concerns.
A spokeswoman for CGML has denied the tenants’ claims.
Kristine Bartley has run cake and coffee store Sweet Release at the Willis St market for more than a year.
She claims that during much of her tenancy her business has suffered from loud, dusty construction, often through the lunch hour.
‘‘For three or four months they were knocking down stalls all day. I pushed on and didn’t say anything because I’m a wuss. But they recently started a third-stage food court and there’s been drilling, sawing, cutting of metal all through the day.’’
Bartley said she had spoken to the property manager several times, but as far as she could see no changes had been made.
Argentinian food stallholder Elina Apresyan said everything turned ‘‘horrible’’ after her family signed a lease at the market six months ago.
The noisy construction meant customers couldn’t hear themselves and the stall holders couldn’t hear their orders.
‘‘I was really happy in the beginning, the first month was good, but when they [the landlord] started contacting us about increasing operating costs – since then it’s been horrible.’’
Other stallholders said they had also been approached about increasing operating costs, which were taken from their accounts through direct debit.
Each tenant was currently paying about $195 operating costs per week, with about 20 stalls in the market.
Juice shop owner Didi Dass claims that when stallholders asked to see receipts from suppliers to justify the costs – detailed on the invoice as being for things like cleaners, management, electricity in the communal area, and pest control – they were given no further information.
Another stallholder believed that the landlord’s actions were causing problems for everyone.
‘‘[It’s] very, very money hungry,’’ he said.
‘‘They’re filling in tenants like sheep in a herd.’’
CGML spokeswoman Vicki Chow said the tenants had been ‘‘well informed’’ about the construction work at the market.
‘‘All construction was closed off and separated from the stalls and all the tenants were informed.
‘‘The only complaint we have received recently is from one of our tenants, Sweet Release, who complained about the construction. The operation costs are standard with all commercial buildings and food court operations. These were stated in the lease and they are based on the actual costs.’’
Chow said Bartley made the complaint after she was served with a notice due to failure to pay full rent since the beginning of the lease.
Bartley said she made the complaint before the notice was served and only refused to pay due to the surprise operating costs, and had since settled it.