Traders fear for their future in Wholesale Market move
Ethnic minority traders cry foul as they accuse council of lack of support
BIRMINGHAM Wholesale Market traders claim they could go to the wall because of a lack of council support as they move to a massive new base next week.
A series of complaints from ethnic minority traders in the market is now being investigated by Birmingham City Council as they move from the city centre to a huge new building in Witton. Their grievances include:
Not being given enough notice about the move;
Not being eligible for a contribution towards the move if they hadn’t signed a lease agreement in time;
Being grouped together ‘in one corner’ of the new linear market.
Ten traders have now formed their own breakaway federation to try to argue for better terms in the moves.
They have also demanded six weeks’ grace to stay on at the old site in Digbeth, even though it is meant to shut down on Saturday, before the new market opens from 2am on Tuesday (May 8).
The traders, calling themselves the BME Birmingham Wholesale Traders Federation, claim 80 to 100 jobs could be lost if they go bankrupt.
In a statement jointly signed by Ahmed Patel (Fine Fresh Produce Ltd), Jawad Imdad (M&I Fruit and Veg Ltd) and Sunny Exotics’ employee Irfan Ahmed, the group said: “The council has provided inadequate funding to all our members to allow them to fit out their units in the new market, whilst giving other firms preferential treatment by providing them with extremely gen- erous contributions. Our members could be set to incur losses of millions of pounds, forcing them to either lay off employees and many companies are also facing the dire prospect of bankruptcy.
“Both would result in loss of jobs and shows a negative effect of relocating the market.
“We are small BME businesses who are the life and soul of the market and local business community.”
They added: “We have a long and proud history of serving the people of Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Closure of these businesses will have a knock-on effect on many retailers across the West Midlands and nationally.
“These concerns have been brought to the attention of Birmingham City Council, but they have failed to offer a solution or any assistance.”
Mr Patel said that because he had been in dispute with the council about the location of his new unit, he had not signed a lease in time to qualify for his £37,000 of relocation assistance funding.
“We were only told on April 24 that the new market was opening on May 8. It’s not enough time – the lack of funding delayed the new fit-out many times,” said Mr Patel.
“Being told that our last day of trading would be May 5 was a bombshell.
“The council did not consult with us individually. All of the big traders are in the middle of the new site.
“Many Asian traders have been put in a block in one corner but they should have been allocated through a lottery.”
Mr Patel, aged 37, said the traders had launched their federation three weeks ago as they did not feel the Birmingham Wholesale Fresh Produce Association represented them.
He added: “The new place is smaller. We want to move. We are paying tenants. But we can’t store anything as we sell perishable foods and have to sell it.
“The cost of fitting out the new units in some cases is more than £100,000 and we don’t have that money unless we borrow it from the bank.
“I have sent email after email, but the council has taken so long to sort everything out.”
A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “A small number of traders have raised some concerns which the city council is currently investigating.”
Closure will have a knock-on effect on many retailers across the West Midlands... BME Birmingham Wholesale Traders Federation