Cover picture: London Borough Markets 03-2019 (Author's picture)
Remember the empty shelves, I wish I had had more opportunities to buy my food. Supermarkets and the odd farm shop were open (but empty) but there were no real local markets as I am used to in France. Though Gloucestershire where I was confined has a sizable and diversified farming industry.
Empty shelves and lack of basic commodities including British produced ones showed how poorly resilient our food industry is. It took weeks for the situation to normalise. The UK retailing sector is an impressive oligopoly (meaning there are very few players and they all are major, mature and secured financially). 96% of the food retailing market is handled by supermarket (ONS 2019), other players only have scraps. Funnily enough many researcher and organisation praised the uptake in veg boxes and milk deliveries while they represent a committed sort of local food. One that is not accessible to many of us if we don’t have the stability in our life necessary to fit in them.
In France the oligopoly of supermarket is less intense than in the UK (65%) and specialized shops hold 16-18% of the food market (INSEE). But the local markets (most of then in the open air) offer a sizable 4% of the food retailing market share that is most likely underestimated (because it is difficult to monitor). In Brittany it was estimated that 13% of fruits and vegetables were bought on open air markets (AGRESTE, 07-2014, Brittany; the vegetable production in Brittany). It also represents a flexible opportunity to committed local food scheme. In this article I propose to try to explore how to re-develop this very useful tool towards a more diverse food retailing. It comes with many benefits for farmers, consumers and towns but has its own challenges.
Photo: Herefordshire, 30 min away from Cheltenham and the very heart of british horticultural production. The use of greenhouses and irrigation allows for an increased number of vegetables crop to be produced on an extended time period. An horticultural belt with an nearly all year round production and stil no open air food market? (Photo by the author 03-2020)
How to make open air food markets successful?
Arras (North of France) Open Air Saturday market, a mix of food and non food stall for a diversified and attractive place under a summer drizzle (Photo by the author 07-2017)
I have been going to the Marché since I was a kid but until recently never had I realized what made French markets persistent compared to other countries. And as well how and why rural areas are their stronghold.
Firstly, the main users of local outdoor markets are often those who have more time to go there, pensioners and settled people. The average age of the typical consumer is over 50 years old. Tourists are also big users of these markets that are open all year round (INSEE Premiere, 03-1999: De la grande surface au marche chacun ses habitudes)(INSEE premiere 2019; trade in 2018).
Open air market definition (C. Herault-Fournier, 2013, Management et avenir)(Dufour et al, 2010): “the oldest local food option existing. It could be defined as a periodic gathering of sellers and retailers that sell their products in the public space; products to take away).” This is allowed by a precarious concession given by the city to the seller, it comes with facilities (toilets, electricity or water) and you pay for the space you occupy for couple hours.
It offers a proximity option for food in the centre of every town and this on a weekly basis. People can plan their meals for the week and buy food accordingly. What is likeable in French markets is the wide range of food products and non-food products available with a diversity of stalls. Delicatessen stalls or caterer proposing a very wide range of food. For example you are likely to find local food producers selling only couple different products, resellers of fruits and vegetables that bought them in the centralized regional market.
Figure 1: An example of the composition of a market in medium sized town. Note the diversity of outlets and keep in mind that they will occupy this public space for couple hours. (Produced by the author from local observations)
You would be amazed to see the different stalls available and how they double down the offer from supermarket or local shops.
The seasonal variations relate to direct local producers that are specialized on one production (for example strawberries or artichoke…) and the non-food retailers that are focused on tourism. The bigger the town the bigger or the more frequent the food market. But as town grow bigger local producer coming to tend to be less numerous.
Photo: Morlaix, Place Cornic. The market is home to a diversity of producers and offers a relaxed alternative to supermarkets. (Photo by the author 06-2020)
It is key to understand that the diversity of local producers weighs on the possibility to have a diversity of outdoor local markets available nearby and a good number of consumers. Around Morlaix in the North Brittany we have a very diversified agricultural production with an impressive horticultural belt on the coast (a bit like around Penzance, Pembrokeshire, Gower…). An all year-round output of fruits and vegetables. The area has also a lot of mixed farm focusing on pigs, poultry or dairy production. Few areas can claim so much in a 20 miles radius. There is one of the major French fishing port Roscoff. (Also home to the farmer’s owned Brittany Ferries). This area is massively exporting its productions to other consumption centre and is very much offering a wide range of production system with different orientations and different markets.
These markets are big. Have a look at how much space the one in Morlaix occupies (and it’s still less than 10 years ago) and can’t really be compared to what I have witnessed in similar towns in the UK.
Figure 2: How much space will an open air market occupy, an example in a big market town. In smaller towns the market will be confined to the high street. (From observations from the author)
In Paris most of the food market is constituted of fruits and vegetables resellers. Markets are numerous in a very short radius to accommodate the big density of population (sometimes they will take place twice a week at the same location). Those local markets adapt their product to the neighbourhood sensibilities and needs.
Figure 3: Paris Open Air markets can still be considered as local food. Part of the vegetables and fruits are coming from the retreating horticultural belt. (By the author)
Around Paris there is still an horticultural belts and farming within the greater Paris (Ile de France) area. Some production can still be deemed as local though farming around Paris faces many challenges and is retreating. (M. Poulot-Moreau et al. 2000)(A. B. De Raymond, 2010)
The many limitations of those open air market:
But we must not forget that coming to an outdoor local market requires a big amount of work for the farmers or sellers. Including settling their stall at the break of dawn around 5-6 am to be ousted by 2pm. There is a considerable amount of preparation and logistics that need to be taken into consideration. Not every farmer has time to do this and it is not remunerating enough to have someone in to do it. Very precarious concession of the public space, a bit more unruly than the supermarkets as well. One also has to consider the impact of the weather on the number of customers.
Photo: Place Allended under a grey sky on the site of the former covered market in Morlaix. On this saturday morning people are out an about to shop for the week. (Photo by the author)
For perishable and transformed products one will have to invest in a refrigerated setup as well as to be approved by the ARS (sanitary authorities). Likewise some products including milk processed products won’t be found in the outdoor food market the transformation and process to store and keep those products being particularly stringent. One won’t be able to solely rely on the outdoor food market for its food provision a number of commodities can’t be found there but will be available in a grocery shop for example.
Note that in France those markets have also been source of a very fierce competition with deals and fights to pick the better stalls of the market. It shows how lucrative it can be if you are in the right place in the market, having dealing with the market officer can be very interesting though illegal. An example here in Mantes.
There are other positive points to have a weekly market in town
In rural areas were access to bigger consumption centre and supermarkets can be difficult (Mobility problems or lack of time) these outdoor food markets really offer a lifeline to those population. You need a grocery shop for the week, but an outdoor food market would top up the local food offer.
In poor suburban areas markets around Paris (ex: Mantes, Corbeil, Clichy…) those local markets bring the food to massive populations that are isolated and don’t have many opportunities for shopping.
Local outdoor markets are also an opportunity for towns because they bring revenue in the cities by draining local customers and tourists alike walking along stalls line and shops. Thus, it also offers a lifeline to fight the appeal of out of town commercial centres or supermarkets.
Why it disappeared in England?
Here are some hints why the local outdoor food market disappeared quicker in the UK and struggle to make a comeback. The agrarian history of the UK triggered the development of a very specialized farming industry. Specialized food shops have struggled as supermarkets settled In the centre of towns in the UK syphoning away their customers. In France most of the supermarkets developed in the outskirts of towns.
The UK is much less rural than France and rural areas tend not to have a dense network of secondary towns that feature a local market. Looking at the map below we realise that sellers are able to go to different open air market over the course of a week without travelling massively. They can target different markets depending on their time availability and the products they are selling.
Figure 4: Map of Morlaix's area, a dense network of secondary and rural towns with a dense network of open air food market. This is coupled to a very diverse farming sector. (Map by the author)
The UK policy focus has also been on the industry and services and not on farming and agricultural production. The UK farming already big compared to French one was already very specialized after the 2nd World War on a number of surpluses production due to the long lasting free-trade focus. Meaning farms were already too big to go the local markets in town, one area will only have one product type to sell and miss others. Retailing and processing chains developed much sooner than France which also played its part in rendering local markets less useful. For example if we look at the agricultural data on dairy farms in Barthelemy et al. 1998 comparing the UK and France, the organisation and concentration of the dairy industry in the UK was at least 10-20 years ahead of France; https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780444508232/production-rights-in-european-agriculture. It means in terms of quality (cells and bacterias) but as well in terms of means of collection or number of animals per farm (i-e specialisation). (I am not allowed to reproduce the results of the book)
Cardiff indoor market (photo by the author 04-019)
Looking at what keeps people going to those markets; in C. Herault-Fournier , 2013 this study looked at what kind of consumers would go to open air markets and other local food opportunities. (farm shop and veg boxes). Looking at how close and involved they were with each option. The open air markets over represented occasional customers (42% of customers interviewed not coming every week) and smaller sums spent. Customers feel less close to the outlets on the open air market and less involved but it is still possible to build trust with the different stalls. Values linked with local food are felt less strongly by those customers. The quality of food products sold and the value of the options offered still allow those markets to operate today.
In many towns in France there was a local market hall – covered that housed the food market, though many have been destroyed they were a feature of nearly every town centre. On the flipside most town can offer electricity or water to part of the stalls (for an increased fee).
Local food markets are very different between France and the UK and not nearly as popular. Though they don’t carry such values and legacy they offer local food for everyone in many places and most of all they offer different retailing options. It means choice for the consumer not to buy all its food from supermarket because they are convenient enough and offer a quality food. It is a very valuable option to look at to increase resilience and develop local food options. Through this humble piece I don’t expect all the answers to be here. Every local food opportunity is such a local phenomenon that it is always hard to draw lessons from what we learn. What I think this piece proves It’s that diversity is key, open air markets offer a wider market for a lesser capital investment than a shop but require a much increased workload, it values diversity of production of farm units.
Comments, remarks and other ideas most welcome to reflect on this subject.
- Barthélémy, B. P. (1998). L'agriculture européenne et les droits à produire - European Agriculture and quotas (Milk, Ovine, Beef...). Editions de l'INRA.
- INSEE Première: De la grande surface au marché chacun ses habitudes (1999)
- Poulot-Moreau M. et al (2000), La ceinture maraîchère et horticole francilienne entre production économique et production de paysage. Méditerranée 95 P51-57
- De Raymond A. B (2010) ; Dispositifs d’intermédiation marchande et politique des marches. La modernisation du marché des fruits et légumes en France, 1950-1980. Varia Vol. 52 P1-20
