The glare of the obvious is blinding
Air conditioning is and has been of great concern in Freo markets. The argument continues and temperatures continue to rise. Jamie Murdoch says it is a matter of priority. Stallholders and customers often mention feeling ill but at least the customers can avoid the markets and they do. The 43C heat over the Christmas period robbed the stallholders of the expected high trade and drove the final nail into the coffin for a number of people who were just hanging in, waiting for Christmas to pull them over the line. The Murdoch visionaries of the future had this 21st century solution.
Another example of the slick promo speak. Ann Myer referred to the relaxed sitting areas as a customer request with positive feedback. I would argue that plastic tables and chairs with overflowing garbage bins are nothing more than strategically placed fillers hiding empty spaces which used to be stalls..jpg)
Another relaxed sitting area around another garbage bin doesn't camouflage the locked door which used to be the ever popular bonsai shop. New tenants are lining up to take possession? NOT..jpg)
These shops cost the previous tenants a bomb. With the new development they were offered temporary relocation in inferior positions inside the main market. Robbed of the initial investment and unable to trade effectively they chose to walk away. Rumour has it that Ann Myers daughter is getting ready to take possession of one of them. At what price, mmmmm? Boy that is one lucky girl. Dancing on graves must be some special magic.
What is it that the Murdoch's and the council can't see? How long are we all going to stare at the elephant in the room? How do these pictures exemplify the original business plan? I haven't even posted all the pictures of empty stalls or the ones up for sale or the others hidden by expanding stock to hide vacancies. When will the promises and the reality meet?
Unbelievably, in last weeks Fremantle Gazette, Jamie was quoted:
With the exception of an area in the yard which is being remodelled, there is only one vacancy and this is consistent with our ongoing occupancy rate. One?
Check out the highly promoted 'celebrity cooking school'. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAO3LcfUTRc&feature=related
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Labels: fremantle council, fremantle markets rent increases, john and jamie murdoch
posted by Editor at 7:38 AM
9 Comments:
This comment was posted off line:
Hi,
I had trouble doing a comment on the blog so have used email.
Has it crossed anyones mind that the level of nepotism being engaged in in the Meyers mum and daughter situation may have legal ramifications.
If it is true, as we have heard, that the coffee caravan is being closed down to give Anns daughter open slather as a coffee seller could there be grounds for the caravan people to sue?
Also there are rumours about the new Lavender shop out the back (in Hermans old spot) being a Meyers or friends of Meyers business. And is it really true , as has been suggested on the blog that the daughter is on minimal rent?
Could these things not be used to remove Meyers? Many see her, not the Murdochs, as the main problem in the markets.
At the very least there is a conflict of interest that would not be tolerated in most business places.
Regards
S.
If anyone has trouble writing a comment please contact me offline webmaster@reinventingmyself.com The blog is a Google format and I think if you have a Google account you can log in with your user name. It’s far easier if you simply click the anonymous bullet and then click the 'publish your comment' button.
Most people prefer not to have their detail seen or their name used, but if you would like to use your name then simply sign off at the bottom of your post.
Using the comment link at the bottom of the post always works but the “new post” link at the top right of the page seems to be a little temperamental.
I promise I will not disclose or use your details for any reason other than the post.
In light of the threats, intimidation and victimization experienced by people who have spoken out I give my personal guarantee that you will never be identified unless you ask to be.
The points you make, and a whole lot more that we have identified, about illegal practices and breaches have been discussed many times and many lawyers have been working with us. Unfortunately, law does not necessarily follow strict lines of right and wrong or justice or even common sense. Many laws can be manipulated by slick lawyers, and believe it or not, some people do lie in courts.
It is time consuming and costly and rarely a simple matter of just being right. The main reason the X stallholders association has not taken this route is that the course of action is so much greater than the predictable outcome. Basically, the work, costs and stress doesn’t justify the minor penalty or the little slap on the wrist in the end.
A good example of that was the dispute about Thursday’s trade. The stallholders won but a year later the Murdoch’s went ahead with Wednesday trade.
It’s not over, and in fact, it is really now just beginning. It’s a matter of choosing your fight and playing to win. Like a big boil about to be popped, everything is coming to a head. It’s a Matter of thorough homework and not sweating the small stuff. We have many wonderful people working behind the scenes and although things have appeared quiet for a while, and the stallholders appear to have been intimidated into silence. I assure you – It’s about to be explode.
Regardless of the grey areas in law, you have something much greater. People who care and the power of ethics and integrity. If that sound vague then watch this space…People matter and truth and fairplay are forces to be reckoned with – and priceless.
Officially, there is no stallholders association. The spokespeople and the members have put their livelihoods on the line and have suffered great personal loss. However, apart from time, effort and costs what they put in more than anything else is heart.
These people are not working as an association now, but they are very much working on behalf of all stallholders to support, advise and protect anyone who feels they are being victimized by FMPL. Adele Carles has now taken the reigns and ALL stallholders can go directly to her as well.
There has been some innuendo, sarcasm, slanderous comment and outright lies circulating and I would like to state very clearly: This is not about stallholders turning against each other.
Some people are feeling that they will not be helped now if they originally supported the Murdoch’s or if they did not join or contribute to the association. This is untrue. Membership was always optional and costs were by contribution not invoice. Most of the cost went on legal services and no fee was charged for work done by the members. I know as fact that the spokespeople often topped up the costs out of their own pockets.
One very positive outcome from the work done was that rent increases were halted and most stallholders benefited from many months delay; those stallholders were saved thousands of dollars.
The stallholders association was never about us and them; it was always working to represent all stallholders, as a collective voice.
Management is now claiming that ‘yesterday’s men’ are bullying new operators. This is not true either. New stallholders or casual stallholders are or may be facing the same problems and are warmly invited to contact Adele or Colin Wright if they need advice or assistance. Traders who are doing well have every right to continue with our good wishes and support. New traders deserve a good go at it. We are not interested in harming the markets – quite the opposite.
I do agree that there is great animosity and resentment towards the management. I understand this but quite frankly I really don’t care.
Ms Meyer claims ‘numerous’ stallholders are complaining but I would argue that only one, her daughter, is feeling frozen out. What would you expect when the girl is in direct competition with the coffee shops inside, who have been hit with massive rent and outgoing hikes? She arrived by pushing veggie shops out of the way, overtook cool-room space by removing someone else’s stock, she then jumped into Herman’s site after he was forced to close down and then they built a little alfresco area around her. Her shop is blatantly over promoted; her rents are allegedly greatly subsidized and now she is being given a shop that the previous people had (loosely but legally) stolen from them. And now the van has been moved to accommodate her.
Questions are now also being asked about the lavender shop. All of those merchandise traders were removed to make way for food related businesses and yet this merchandise shop is positioned in a prime location. Are they trying to cause resentment?
And finally this bitchy quote in a recent newsletter:
Good news for all of us. The ex stall holders who claimed they had been evicted but in actually fact received the same deal as other stall holders will finish trading over the
road this weekend. This is fantastic news for all of us. It has been a difficult time but I
am confident we can now get on and trade in a professional manner.[sic]
The comment below was received offline.
Hi Sonya,
Please could you publish the below information on your blog. I know its contentious, but you yourself have mentioned the need to burst the boil in order to clean up the Freo Mkts.
Some Facts About Ann Meyer.
Ann was the prime mover in getting rid of Eddy. She has quite openly stated "I do not want his Asian crap in my Market" She similarly got rid of Brian who had the Tornado Potato stall, an exceptionally popular stall with customers. He had actually booked in with Jamie Murdoch and was told by Ann to get lost, no logical reasons given.
When questioned on whether she has the right to override the Murdoch family she replied "As far as any of you are concerned I am the Murdochs" Her daughter, Sophie, clarified things for any stall holders who might still not get the message "We are here to stay. No one crosses my mother. She loves an argument. She will stand up to any man and if a woman argues with her she flattens them" When asked whether flatten meant physically she said "Absolutely"
The level of nervousness, no lets make that raw fear, in the market is now palpable. Morale is at an all time low and no one knows when their head will be on the chopping block.
The Murdoch family is no longer in charge and Ann does not need a reason, she can get rid of anyone on a whim. I realise your charter is to help those that have left the market but it seems important that the struggles of those remaining get some sort of acknowledgement.
Its heartbreaking for adult people to have to exist like bullied children and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
You are absolutely right..nobody should be subjected to the intimidation and bullying in this day and age. Employers can't do it so how do landlords get away with it. Simple...because you allow the behaviour and nobody speaks out against it. The bully's, the Ann Meyers of the world, continue on their way.
The woman is a fraud, she's certainly not a business and development manager. How can John snr. and Jill watch the markets they helped create be torn apart by this charlatan? She has Jamie wrapped around her little finger and treats him like a puppy. John on the other hand is missing in action...
In less than 12 months she has been allowed to ruin the Freo Markets...can anybody tell me of one success she has had in that time? She is deluded and lives in a fantasy.
I've also heard that Anne Meyer likes to "deck women" - what a bogan! Her daughter and her are spreading the word, probably to imitimidate the females in the market - surely it just makes us laugh. The woman is a failed businesswoman, a glorified cook (no chef) and an illiterate moron. It's all over the markets that John Jnr broke into her office the other night looking for bottles and was absolutely wetting his pants in case she caught him - hilarious!
People with no morals are usually weak beneath the veneer. That's why they need a bully to front them. I agree about the illiteracy. In "actually fact" it's hard to take someone seriously when they can't even spell.
It would be so easy to get caught up in the Ann Meyer issues, but isn’t that just playing the Murdoch game. Fancy title aside, her role is to be ‘the apron to hide behind’. All bullies are cowards and they all try to manipulate others into doing their dirty work. Trouble began long before Ms M came into play. She is but the puppet and for now it suits their purpose to allow her to believe she is recreating Harrods of London.
In just over a year, they have turned the markets into a supermarket or deli which offers nothing that is not readily available in most suburban shopping centres. Not only has this lost them local and regular customers but also most of its tourist appeal. The rents have forced up product prices, so it no longer operates as a place of bargain buying and it makes it impossible for hand made goods to compete. New start-up businesses no longer have a safe place to try out or test a new product or service. Around 25% of the traders have been forced into walking way. The huge decline in customers is now impacting on the most successful businesses.
This management is bringing in new traders who are in direct competition with established businesses and in some cases offering free entry (others have paid many thousands to buy those positions) or lower costs. Businesses have been relocated into inferior positions and forked out even more to refit and re-equip the new shop. They have positioned two bakeries only metres apart and now announce how pleased they are to welcome a new patisserie. They set the daughter up in her new shop and I bet within months the inside coffee shops will disappear and ground coffee beans and cold drinks will be taken over by her. They are making it near impossible for anyone to sell an established business even though many only signed a lease to give them security enough to sell out.
In the last week or two, Jamie has said that there has only been only one eviction and that there is only one vacant stall. All of the merchandise traders who paid for shops in the yard have been forced out or offered temporary substandard spaces inside; all of them have lost their initial investment and any likelihood of selling their goodwill. Some have been told they can no longer sell the goods that they carry, others have been told to sack their staff, many were offered only monthly agreements which made buying stock risky and made their businesses very insecure, rents and outgoings skyrocketed and now new stalls are coming in and selling same or similar products.
One eviction is an outright lie, but I would also argue that bullying people into walking out, or making it impossible to trade is also a form of eviction; these people did not want to walk away. Jamie says they choose to walk away, that they are last year’s men, and a more professional attitude is needed. He also claims that the stallholders have sold their businesses at an average of $40,000 and that is a lie. Most did not sell at all, and of those who did, many sold at far less than they bought it for and far less than value. He also said that the average income per stall per week was $10,000 which in not just an outrageous lie, but it makes a mockery of the fact that some people were supplementing their businesses for months before “choosing to leave”.
And throughout this whole sorry saga he asserts that his reputation is being undermined by stallholders, the media and council! He then has the audacity to send out a newsletter claiming that management is feeling disrespected and intimidated. He did make mention that bullying in the workplace is illegal and that people should file a formal complaint if they feel they are being bullied. I would not drop that form into the office though, but I do agree, make a formal complaint.
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