The City of Melbourne’s draft budget has become a topic of contention, with $35 million allocated to Queen Victoria Market precinct renewal. 

Under the proposal, traders will receive limited support — with some saying they have already experienced a loss of revenue due to the construction now underway.

The renewal plan project began a decade ago, in July 2015, and was intended to preserve and honour the market’s history while improving the facilities for traders and market visitors.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic, plans were derailed and the market faced a significant loss of revenue.

Benito Bitalone, more commonly known as Benny from Benny’s Fruit Corner, has been a fruit trader for the past 30 years, taking over the shop from his father, who opened it in the 1970s.

“When we first started, [it] was amazing, like just constant people, we get a lot of families coming through. The dynamics has changed.” 

Benny said that since the pandemic, many customers have not returned and are finding somewhere more convenient to shop. 

Only 30 to 40 per cent of his old customers have come back, he said.

The same can be said for Nash, the owner of Market Fresh, who has been working as a trader at Queen Vic Market for almost 27 years.

Nash said that many of the people he talked to stopped coming back because it was no longer worthwhile for them.

“It’s hard to find a car spot. And on top of it, spending petrol and time here. It’s not worthwhile coming here because they want some incentives and they’re not getting it.”

While losing old customers, many traders have been vocal about reaching out to younger generations and encouraging them to shop locally.

Harry moved to Melbourne a little over two years ago and lived in the city for the majority of that time.

He does his weekly shop at the market every Thursday morning.

“The price here is quite a bit better. And … look ... I’m not a huge fan of supermarkets, like all of the land banking stuff that they do. It’s just not a business practice I can get behind.” 

He recently moved to Richmond but still finds himself returning to the market for his weekly shopping trip before work.

He said the exchange of hands during the food shop felt like a very human thing, which it is nice to be a part and keeps bringing him back.

However, the traders argue that it is the lack of marketing and the constant construction that deters people from the market. 

Since the construction of the storage shed began in early 2024, Benny’s Fruit Corner was moved from across Queen Street shed H to shed C, where trade had dropped 40 per cent, Benny said.

He said that the routine of entering the market and looking at the different products in the same pattern is what kept his old customers.

With the construction of a storage unit in sheds H and I, this routine was jeopardised.

Traders had reached out to Queen Vic Market management to tell them that this new storage unit was not what the traders wanted, nor would it be successful.

“We’ve showed them what we do logistically. We said it ain’t going to work, but they still push forward, so by the time they finish that off, I doubt that anyone’s going to even use it,” Benny said, in regards to the storage unit.

Councillor Mark Scott of the City of Melbourne agreed that the local shopper has been lost. 

As both a local business owner in the market precinct and a councillor, he said finding ways to improve the market's traction is one of his goals for 2025-26.

“People's habits changed during COVID. They found the local shopping precincts, you've got 15 different Woolworths within 3 kilometres of the market. A lot of those didn't exist pre-COVID,” Scott said.

With the majority of visitors to the market also being tourists, it does not help the traders either.

Scott acknowledged the need for marketing to attract local shoppers to get their groceries from the market.

“It's something that I am ramming home to the Queen Victoria Market marketing team. They're trying different things,” he said about upcoming campaigns.

Although recognising the impact that the construction has on the market, Scott remained optimistic.

“Hopefully the renewal will sparkle the place up and make it look like a really inviting environment and give customers a reason to come back, but we'll see for sure … It doesn’t have a simple answer.”

Queen Victoria Market was approached for comment.