Market Guidelines
BACKGROUND
Live Prawn Productions Inc (LPP) is a Clarence Valley not-for-profit community association.
In January 2008, Clarence Valley Council (CVC) awarded the association the licence to operate Yamba River Markets over a three-year renewable term. The markets occur each 4th Sunday of the month in Ford Park, located on the Yamba Bay foreshore, near the ferry wharf. Profits generated from this community enterprise are reinvested into local arts events, live performances and cultural activities.
LPP operates Yamba River Markets with the goal of supporting stallholders residing in the Clarence Valley who make or grow what they sell, whilst also welcoming traders from further afield, as well as providing stall sites for charities and community groups. We strive to create a festive atmosphere featuring musical performances and buskers plus, from time to time, art workshops and children’s activities.
By providing these guidelines, LPP’s expectation is for a smooth running market, ensuring a successful and enjoyable day for all stakeholders. LPP reserves the right to alter any of the guidelines without prior notice and to perform all acts as are necessary or desirable for the proper management of the Yamba River Markets and the safety of stallholders and patrons.
All stallholders, subcontractors and volunteers involved in the markets are bound by these market guidelines, which support and align with regulations and obligations stipulated in the CVC market licence.
MARKET INFORMATION TENT
The Market Info Tent is located at the heart of the market, opposite the large green shade cloth. It is manned at all times by a LPP committee member or market volunteer.
If you have any concerns, questions or suggestions, our volunteers are ready to assist.
APPLYING TO JOIN THE MARKETS
To participate in our market as stallholder you must complete an application form: https://yambarivermarkets.com.au/apply
Application is required once only and ensures your site requirements are listed in our database. In the application, you will be asked to state whether you intend to join the market on an occasional (Casual) or permanent (Regular) basis.
All stallholders begin as Casuals and become Regulars after three (3) consecutive months of trading. Casual stallholders must contact the Market Coordinator, preferably by email, each month to confirm their attendance.
Where possible, Regulars will be allocated the same site each month. While every effort is made to allocate stallholders their preferred site, some location changes may occur for operational reasons. Sites cannot be bought, sold, leased, hired or rented out.
The Market Coordinator must be advised of significant changes to product lines other than those written on your market application form.
SAFETY FIRST
Stallholders are reminded of the importance of ensuring their shade structures are properly secured and in good working order. Poorly maintained and erected structures pose a significant potential threat to public safety. As a minimum, gazebos must be pegged in all four corners and guide ropes secured to the ground with a further four pegs inserted on an obtuse angle in relation to shade structure legs. Please also minimize trip hazards by ensuring any protuberance is clearly marked for members of the public to avoid.
LPP conducts regular safety audits of stall sites and provides guidance to stallholders on how to meet safety requirements.
High winds are the most common risk to market operations. As a rule, LPP will cancel a market if average wind speed is forecast over 30kph on market day. Nevertheless, gusts of wind surpassing 30kph can occur even when much lower average wind speeds are forecast. It is therefore essential that stallholders are equipped with additional, adequately-sized pegs and ropes with which to secure their shade structures in the case of unforeseen strong winds.
Please also note that in light of the 2020 pandemic, stalls must adhere to current NSW Public Health directions for Covid-19. (Eg. hand sanitizer, managing social distancing within your stall or in the queue for your stall, installing signage etc.)
Safety Checklist - make sure you can tick each item…
Shade structures in good working order
Shade structures adequately secured to the ground
Adequate additional pegs, ropes etc present in case of strong winds
Stallholder understands procedures relating to strong winds
Electrical cables tagged
Gas supply leads tagged
Stallholder understands incident reporting procedure
Stallholder has read Market Guidelines in last 12 months
FEES
Administration fee for first-time applicants (applied when you attend your first market) : $5
Site fees are charged per market and depend on the size of your stall, insurance and power needs and whether you need a vehicle on site.
Our standard stall site is 4m x 4m.
Standard stall site : $30
Food vendor standard stall site : $40
Extra frontage : $15 per extra 2 metres (2 metres minimum & no single metres), eg. 6m x 4m site = $45
Charity / Community stall site : $10
Charity and community stalls are now limited to a maximum attendance of 3 markets each year at the $10 rate.
Charity stalls may attend more than 3 times per year either on payment of standard site fees, or at the $10 rate if a member/members volunteer to assist with market setup / packdown.
Insurance (for Casuals only - see guidelines on insurance below) : $10
Electricity supply (per outlet - see guidelines below) : $10
Vehicle on site (see guidelines on vehicles below) : $5
Site fees are reviewed after each financial year end and increased on 1st January. The minimum increase is equivalent to the Commercial Price Index, although greater increases may be applied from time to time, with prior notice given to stallholders.
ARRIVAL AT THE MARKETS
Stallholders are not allowed onto Ford Park until after 6:30am.
Regular stallholders are expected to be on site by 7.30am, unless prior notice is given to the Market Coordinator.
Regulars are to queue in Library Lane, alongside Yamba Library which runs off Wooli Street.
Food vendors are to enter Ford Park from the corner of River Street and Harbour Street, adjacent to Calypso Holiday Park.
New & Casual stallholders may access the site via Library Lane after 7:30am.
Regulars who are not present by 7:30am may lose their site to a Casual unless prior notice had been given to the Market Coordinator.
We endeavour to have all stallholders on site by 8.00am.
PAYING FOR YOUR SITE
Payments for stall sites are made online by clicking a link sent via email to Regulars and confirmed Casuals prior to each market.
The online payment covers stall fees, power, on-site vehicles, insurance etc according to the information supplied in your application form.
Regular stallholders will be sent a payment link via email at the start of each month.
Casual stallholders in the database will be sent an email invitation to attend the next market. Once a Casual confirms their attendance, they will be allocated a site and sent a payment link.
Payment secures your booking for that market. You will receive a tax receipt confirmation of your payment via email.
The cut-off date to secure your site is midnight on the Friday prior to market day (4th Sunday of every month).
Stallholders paying after the cut-off date will only be allocated a site if one is available.
Regulars who plan to be away from the next market or future markets, must notify the Market Coordinator by email one week prior to each market, or risk losing their usual site.
Cash payments for stalls sites may only be made at the Market Info Tent in circumstances where the online payment channel is not accessible to the stallholder.
CANCELLATIONS
If you need to cancel…
Regulars who plan to be away from the next market or future markets, must notify the Market Coordinator by email one week prior to each market, or risk losing their usual site.
Stallholders who have booked and paid for a site have - at the latest - until midnight on the Friday prior to the market to notify the Market Coordinator of their absence. Payments can be carried over to the next market, or refunded, as per your request.
Refunds for site fees may only be offered for cancellations made after this time at the Market Coordinator’s discretion.
Please note that late cancellation can result in casual traders missing out on attending the market as well as causing logistical challenges on market day and loss of revenue. As such, repeated late cancellations reflect poorly on the stallholder, who may receive a formal warning and/or suspension notice (see Code of Conduct below).
If you need to cancel now, use this link.
If we need to cancel…
While Yamba has ideal weather conditions for most of the year, the markets are occasionally cancelled due to inclement weather, or where the site is water-logged following heavy rainfall.
Market cancellation is communicated to Stallholders via email and via our social media channels (Facebook and Instagram). Unless weather patterns change unexpectedly at the last minute, we endeavour to make a decision by the Thursday prior to market day.
If unsure if the market is going ahead please contact the Market Coordinator or check our social media channels for updates.
INSURANCE
Insurance cover for stallholders is mandatory.
Stallholders must have relevant public liability and products insurance cover for their stall to the value of $20,000,000, as stipulated in the CVC licence.
Stallholders with their own insurance policies must supply us with a copy of their certificate of currency upon initial application and each subsequent year via email.
LPP can provide a limited number of Casual stallholders with public liability cover for a maximum of three (3) markets, or until such time as they become Regulars. Stallholders requiring this service must gain LPP approval prior to attending the market.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Electricity supply for stalls at Ford Park is limited and is only available by prior arrangement with the Market Coordinator.
All electrical equipment is to be regularly inspected by a qualified electrician, must comply with OH&S requirements and be tagged accordingly.
Any power cords found to be running hot will be considered unsafe and disconnected immediately.
Stallholders should carry appropriate safety equipment eg. extinguishers etc.
Stallholders may only plug into the number of outlets arranged with the Market Coordinator and paid for in advance.
Generators are not permitted at the Yamba River Markets.
Council officials may make random inspections.
VEHICLES ON SITE
Stallholders are encouraged to remove their cars from the site following unloading their goods. We aim to minimise vehicles parked within the market stall sites to create more space and for aesthetic purposes. Free car parking is available for Stallholders at various location in Ford Park, with ample over-flow spaces at the western end of the market.
A fee is charged for stallholders who wish to keep their vehicle on site behind their stall (see Fees). There is no charge for trailers, so long as they fit within the area allocated at the stall site.
Please respect the advertised finishing time of 2pm and refrain from bringing cars on site before then.
FOOD VENDORS
Food stallholders are bound by regulations under NSW Food Authority Act 2003. These requirements place responsibility on the persons selling the food. Failure to comply with regulations may render the seller liable to large fines. Please note that Clarence Valley Council compliance officers conduct regular, random checks.
Contact Clarence Valley Council on 02 6643 0200 to obtain a licence to sell food at Yamba River Markets.
Food vendors are to clearly display all required licences/certificates.
LPP is unable to provide insurance to Food Vendors.
Heating appliances/fryers etc are to be kept out of reach of the public.
Electrical appliances, leads, gas bottles and lines must be regularly inspected by a qualified tradesperson for compliance with OH&S requirements and tagged accordingly.
The level of cleaning/hygiene facilities, provided by the food vendor, must adhere with Section 4 of the NSW Food Authority Act.
Relevant cold/hot storage facilities are to be provided by the operator, again adhering to the NSW Food Authority Act.
Appropriate fire extinguishers are to be kept on hand.
Traders are responsible for removal and disposal of all their grey water and stall waste, as well as leaving their site free of rubbish on departure.
As of July 2020, Food Vendors must have a Covid Safety Plan in place.
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING
LPP aims to protect the environment by encouraging all stakeholders to minimise waste.
CVC provides red bins for landfill waste and LPP provides green bins for organic / compostable waste and yellow recycling bins for aluminum cans, glass, cardboard and other recyclables.
Yamba River Markets has a No Plastic Bag policy. No loose plastic shopping bags are to be used/handed out by stallholders. Paper ‘Eco-bags’ using environment-friendly ink are available to purchase from the Market Info Tent.
Goods that are pre-packaged in plastic wrapping are permitted, although discouraged.
Stallholders are required to remove all rubbish from stall sites before leaving Ford Park. Please refrain from placing stall waste in market bins. Stallholders are responsible for taking their own waste away with them and to correctly dispose of grey water waste.
MARKETING & PROMOTION
Yamba River Markets maintains a presence on Facebook and Instagram.
Stallholders are encouraged to Like and Follow these accounts and to tag @YambaRiverMarkets or use the #YambaRiverMarkets when posting product and market-related content to their own social media accounts; that way, we can share your posts to our channels and grow your exposure.
LPP reserves the right to share content posted by stallholders and where possible, will seek permission from and/or acknowledge the content owner.
CODE OF CONDUCT
All stallholders are to conduct themselves in a professional, responsible manner and adhere to the law.
Stallholders are reminded to display respect, courtesy and patience towards customers and market volunteers.
Any issues, concerns or grievances arising at the markets should, in the first instance, be addressed to the Market Coordinator, so that they can be resolved in the best interests of all stakeholders.
LPP reserves the right to remove or deny attendance to a stallholder or any member of the public who displays inappropriate behaviour at the market.
In situations of improper behaviour by stallholders, a 3-month suspension notice may be issued.
In the case of violent or abusive behaviour, a stallholder may be banned for 1 year or more.
Australian Standard Occupational Health and Safety regulations must be followed at the Yamba River Markets.
ALCOHOL/DRUGS
The use or consumption of alcohol or prohibited drugs is not permitted at the markets.
ANIMALS AT THE MARKETS
Stallholders and customers are permitted to bring domesticated pets including dogs on site as long as they are controlled (eg. on a leash) at all times. It is the owner’s responsibility to clean up any mess their animals make at the market site.
Under the NSW Food Authority Act 2003, no animals are permitted in within 10 metres of areas where food is being prepared or served.
Please do not leave animals in vehicles. The sale of live animals is prohibited at Yamba River Markets.