Perth Markets hungry for growth

Western Australia’s oldest fresh food markets has welcomed tenants to its new $8.4 million building, part of a 20-year masterplan for the 51-hectare Canning Vale property.

Perth Markets was established more than 100 years ago on Wellington Street in the CBD, before shifting to facilities in Canning Vale, which is home to 105 tenants. 

The organisation trades about 194,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually through the Canning Vale site, which also comprises a seafood auction house and wholesale butcher.

Perth Markets’ latest building is a 3,500 square-metre, temperature-controlled and custom-built warehouse, now tenanted by SJ Fresh Produce, Brindle Group and Select Fresh. 

The last time a new building was constructed on the Perth Markets site was in 2013. 

SJ Fresh Produce chief executive Shane Patching said the organisation signed up for the lease at the new temperature-controlled facility as it had outgrown its existing warehouse space and were unable to take on any new business.  

“This proved to be the right decision as when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were able to capitalise on a significant increase in demand,” Mr Patching said.  

“During the initial lockdown in March 2020, demand for fruit and vegetables went through the roof and although it has slowed somewhat, it seems people are opting to cook at home more often and preferring to shop with their local grocer.”

Perth Markets chief executive Rebecca Moore said the warehouse was one of three new builds in the works, with plans to start construction on the second instalment within the next 12 to 18 months.

The second building will feature 4,180sqm of Net Lettable Area, with tenancies ranging from 1,000sqm to 4,180sqm and Perth Market plans for the third building to comprise a NLA of 4,500sqm. 

Ms Moore said the organisation would apply a similar approach to the new builds, seeking pre-commitments prior to construction, to enable design flexibility to cater to tenants’ specific needs. 

“This is part of a wider masterplan that we’re kicking off this year, where we look at what the whole site is going to be like in the next 20 years,” Ms Moore told Business News. 

“We’ve also got a Metronet site being built on our corner, so there’s an opportunity there too.”