If you run a cafe, a fruit shop, a restaurant or a market stall in Perth, sooner or later you’ll ask the question every food business asks: can I buy direct from the wholesale market? The short answer is yes, as a registered buyer. Here’s how it works, who it’s for and what to expect on your first morning.
Perth Markets at 280 Bannister Road, Canning Vale is Western Australia’s only wholesale fruit and vegetable market. Every weekday morning, 25 wholesalers in the Central Trading Area (CTA) and more than 30 secondary wholesalers on site sell the produce that supplies grocers, supermarkets, restaurants and retailers across the state, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of it a year. When you buy here, you’re buying at the source.
Key Takeaways
- Perth Markets is a trade market. Registered buyers with site access buy from the wholesalers in the CTA and from secondary wholesalers on site, and members of the public buy at the Saturday Clearance Market instead.
- Access is by application through the Apply for Access form on the Perth Markets website, and entry is by mobile credentials on your phone rather than an access card.
- The CTA trades Monday to Friday from 6am to 10am. Fruit and vegetables trade from 6am, meat from 5.30am to 2.30pm, and seafood from 5am to 9.30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Everyone on site completes the site access and site safety inductions, plus a forklift induction and permit if you’ll be operating one.
- Wholesale means buying by the carton, tray or box, and the best buyers build relationships with the wholesalers who know what’s good that week and what’s in season.
Who Can Buy at Perth Markets?
The wholesale market is there for businesses that sell or serve fresh produce: independent grocers and fruit shops, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, caterers, food manufacturers, weekend market stallholders, and the distributors and secondary wholesalers who supply them. If you buy fruit and vegetables for a business, you’re the person the market was built for.
Weekday access to the Central Trading Area is arranged through the Apply for Access process. If you’re a home cook after wholesale prices, the Saturday Clearance Market is where the same wholesalers open their doors to the public, every Saturday from 6am to 10am. If you’re not sure where your business sits, call Perth Markets reception on 08 9456 9200 and ask.
How to Apply for Access
- Apply online. Complete the Apply for Access form on the Perth Markets website. It’s for new applications only, and renewals use a separate form. After you submit, allow up to a minute for the confirmation to come through and don’t refresh the page.
- Verification and payment. Perth Markets verifies your account. Once that’s done and payment is received, your credentials are sent to the email address and mobile number you supplied.
- Set up your mobile credentials. Perth Markets no longer issues access cards. Entry to the site is by Bluetooth mobile credentials on your smartphone, and there’s a help guide on the website that walks you through the setup.
- Complete your inductions. Every site user completes the site access and site safety inductions.
- Come in early. Trading starts at 6am, and the best of the day’s produce goes well before the CTA closes at noon.
What a Market Morning Looks Like
Arrive early and walk the floor before you buy. The CTA is the main trading area, where the 25 wholesalers sell by the carton, tray or box, and the secondary wholesalers around the site carry their own lines alongside it. Prices move with supply, the season and the weather, so last week’s good value may not be this week’s. Ask what’s just come in, what’s about to finish and what’s coming. Wholesalers are used to the questions.
Each wholesaler sets its own terms, and many regular buyers run an account. Ask when you first buy. The site is a working distribution centre with forklifts moving from before dawn, so follow the site rules from your induction, keep to the pedestrian areas and bring a vehicle that suits the load. Meat and seafood traders keep their own hours, listed above, and holiday trading dates are published on the Perth Markets website each year.
Tips for New Buyers
- Start with one or two wholesalers. Get to know their lines and their people before you spread across the floor.
- Buy in season. It’s the simplest way to get the best quality at the lowest price, and it’s what your customers want anyway.
- Know your volumes. Wholesale is sold by the carton or tray, so work out what a carton means for your kitchen or shelf before you commit.
- Ask about what’s coming. Wholesalers know when a line is about to peak or finish for the year, which helps with menus and specials.
- Watch the news page. Perth Markets runs events such as the Back to Market Buyer’s Day, which gives retailers and food businesses a behind-the-scenes look at the buying process and a chance to meet the growers and wholesalers.
Ready for Your First Market Morning?
Buying wholesale at Perth Markets is straightforward once you’re set up: apply for access, sort your mobile credentials, complete the inductions and turn up early. From there, it’s about walking the floor, asking questions and building relationships with the people who supply WA. For the application form, the mobile credentials guide, induction details and the current holiday trading notice, head to the Perth Markets Apply for Access page or call 08 9456 9200.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the public buy at Perth Markets?
Weekday access to the Central Trading Area is arranged through the Apply for Access process on the Perth Markets website. The public can buy from the same wholesalers at the Saturday Clearance Market, 6am to 10am every Saturday.
Do I need an access card?
No. Perth Markets has moved to Bluetooth mobile credentials on your smartphone, issued once your application is verified and paid.
What time does the wholesale market open?
The CTA trades Monday to Friday from 6am to 10am. Meat trades from 5.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday, and seafood from 5am to 9.30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
What is the Central Trading Area?
The CTA is the main trading floor at Perth Markets, home to 25 wholesalers. More than 30 secondary wholesalers also trade from the wider site.
Do I have to complete an induction?
Yes. All site users complete the site access and site safety inductions, and forklift operators also need the forklift induction and a Perth Markets Forklift Operator Permit.
Can I buy small quantities?
Wholesalers generally sell by the carton, tray or box. If you only need small amounts, the Saturday Clearance Market lets you buy in smaller quantities at wholesale prices.
