Dear Colleague,

On behalf of the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) I am delighted to welcome you to London and hope that you enjoy your time with us.

London has so many different attractions and is the home of almost two hundred different markets.  There are some major Wholesale Markets at Covent Garden, Billingsgate, Smithfield and Spitalfields and a host of famous street and retail markets such as Borough Market and Queens Market which bring colour and vibrancy to our capital.

This conference is held against the background of a government Inquiry into traditional markets and we hope that during the conference we can explore some of the lessons that have emerged from the evidence of the Inquiry.

Markets in the UK are facing many challenges particularly with an economic recession.  We are not alone in this situation and coming together as delegates of WUWM we can explore some of the issues in detail and share problems and, hopefully, look at solutions that we can all embrace.

NABMA is part of an alliance of market industry organisations and during our conference I hope that we can share some of the work that is currently being undertaken by the Retail Markets Alliance.  The RMA comprises NABMA, the National Market Traders Federation, the Association of Town Centre Management and FARMA.

The conference programme provides an excellent opportunity for both networking and presentations together with an opportunity of seeing some of the important London markets.

Hopefully there will be also time to enjoy something more of what London has to offer.  We are particularly delighted that Baroness Dean, Chairman, Covent Garden Market, has agreed to host a dinner at the House of Lords on the Friday night of our conference.  This promises to be a memorable occasion.

Councillor Stuart Bray
President
National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA)

Introduction

After 50 years of wholesale market representation, the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) opened its doors to retail market membership in 2006. This was done out of increasing recognition for the valuable contribution made by retail market operators and authorities to the markets industry, and to support the common agenda wholesale and retail markets share today.

Early in 2009, to reflect the growing strength of the retail membership within the association, the World Union of Retail Markets within WUWM was born.

The World Union of Retail Markets within WUWM aims to:
> Provide information and knowledge exchange – between members, as well as with other public or private bodies;
> Offer a strategy and comprehensive knowledge of the global retail market industry;
> Support members in the operation and promotion of their markets;
> Support and initiate lobbying – including to public/private decision-making bodies, parliamentary groups, legislators, and other market related organisations;
> To promote and develop best practice within the retail market sector.

This second retail conference follows on from the success of the first ever WUWM Retail Conference which was held in Hamburg, Germany in June 2008, and is a vital step in further developing WUWM as a pro-active and leading platform for the retail market sector globally.  Actions the past year have focused on consolidating the European arm of the Section by ensuring a united voice for retail markets within the European Union.  Activities to date have included the formalisation of a European retail market definition, and conducting a survey which seeks to build a picture of the role and importance of retail markets in key European countries.

We invite you to join us in this WUWM Retail Conference.  Support the movement to ensure a leading authoritative voice exists in support of the retail market sector, internationally and regionally.

This conference is for any:
> Retail market authorities and decision-makers;
> Retail market traders (and their associations);
> Local authority representatives (e.g. Heads of Markets, Leaders of Councils, etc);
> Town centre managers and town planners;
> Government agencies working for retail/commerce/food retail businesses;
> Any professionals interested in the social and/or economic benefits of markets.

For further information on WUWM please visit: www.wuwm.org