Old-style market gets new face

Bangkok's famous flower market near the Chao Phraya river will get a new look to make it modern & attract tourists.

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Business
MARKETS

Pak Khlong Talat gets B400m facelift

24/09/2012
Krissana Parnsoonthorn

The Marketing Organisation (MO), a state enterprise under the Interior Ministry, is modernising itself by giving new looks to markets under its supervision, including Pak Khlong Talat, a wet market in Bangkok famous for fresh flowers and produce wholesaling...

....The MO manages five markets. Besides Pak Khlong Talat and the agriculture product market in Taling Chan area in Bangkok, it runs three markets in Lamphun, Lop Buri and Chachoengsao provinces.

But these markets have been less popular for years as Thai people prefer to go shopping at modern-trade stores like supermarkets and hypermarkets, not wet markets like in the past.

Therefore, the MO came up with a 400-million-baht plan to reinvent Pak Khlong Talat to become a modern flower market and a tourist attraction.

It awarded a build-operate-and-transfer contract to Pak Khlong Talat 2009 Co to handle the renovation and manage Pak Khlong Talat for 30 years. Rents will then be raised to 2,000 baht per month for a 2x2 metre stall. The company has already talked to vendors about the rent increase and most have no objection. Currently, some vendors sub-lease the stalls and pay rents as high as 8,000 baht a month while the monthly rent the MO collects is only 600 baht.

Under the new system, they will contact directly with the market operator. The new look of Pak Khlong Talat will be seen before Feb 14 next year, Mr Titus said, referring to one of the most busiest days of the market when fresh roses are bought for loved ones.

The market will have a 300-metre walkway facing the Chao Phraya River as a new tourist attraction, similar to Asiatique the Riverfront on Charoenkrung Road.
After the facelift, the MO will have similar plans for the other four markets.

"We hope our markets particularly the one in Chachoengsao will help boost border trade when the AEC is formed. This market is designed to be the central market for seafood in the Eastern Seaboard," he said.

Apart from the market renovation, the MO is working on the Otop Smile shop project to develop a new distribution channel for One Tambon One Product goods.

Ten shops will be opened under the pilot project and the target is 500 shops in the next three years.

The first Otop Smile shop has already been opened in Bang Sai district, Ayutthaya. In Bangkok, three Otop distribution places will be set up in areas under the expressway in Silom, Ploenchit and Ram Intra areas. They will be finished by next year.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Business, MARKETS, Pak Khlong Talat gets B400m facelift, 24/09/2012, Krissana Parnsoonthorn, link) 


Wet Market Renovation Vocabulary

wet market - the old style market (usually outdoors and sometimes not so clean or modern) (See Wikipedia) 
renovation - completely repairing, improving, and rebuilding an old building, putting it back in good condition การฟื้นฟูบูรณะ
wet market renovation

conception - an idea ความคิด
artists' conception - a picture of something that doesn't exist yet (the idea of what it would look like is given in painting or drawing)

walkway - a place where people can walk from one place to another ทางเดินเท้า
a 300-metre walkway

an artist’s conception of the new Pak Khlong Talat, with a 300-metre walkway

facelift - changing the way something looks (from the outside)
Pak Khlong Talat gets B400m facelift

state - government รัฐ
enterprise - an organization, especially a company กิจการ, บริษัท,อุตสาหกิจ,วิสาหกิจ
state enterprise

supervision - the process of making sure that something is being done properly การควบคุมดูแล การตรวจตรา
markets under its supervision

produce - vegetables and fruit sold in a store or market
wholesaling - the buying and selling of goods in large quantities to businesses, not small customers as in retailing (See Wikipedia)
produce wholesaling

a wet market famous for produce wholesaling

The Marketing Organisation (MO), a state enterprise under the Interior Ministry, is modernising itself by giving new looks to markets under its supervision, including Pak Khlong Talat, a wet market in Bangkok famous for fresh-flower and produce wholesaling... ....The MO manages five markets. Besides Pak Khlong Talat and the agriculture product market in Taling Chan area in Bangkok, it runs three markets in Lamphun, Lop Buri and Chachoengsao provinces.

trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
modern-trade stores - new style stores (nearby small and convenient like7-11 or large and cheap with everything like Lotus or Big-C) 

prefer - like more than other things
prefer to go shopping at modern-trade stores

hypermarkets - very large stores like Tesco Lotus and Carrefour

came up with a plan - create a plan, dream up a plan (use your imagination to think of what to do in the future) 

reinvent - make something old, new again (change design)
plan to reinvent the market

tourist attraction - an interesting place where tourists like to go (when they are traveling to a place)

But these markets have been less popular for years as Thai people prefer to go shopping at modern-trade stores like supermarkets and hypermarkets, not wet markets like in the past. Therefore, the MO came up with a 400-million-baht plan to reinvent Pak Khlong Talat to become a modern flower market and a tourist attraction.

transfer - change ownership to another person โอน
build-operate-and-transfer - a form of private-public partnership  (See Wikipedia)

public-private partnership - a project done by government and companies together (See Wikipedia)

contract - a written (or oral) agreement that is legally binding สัญญา
a build-operate-and-transfer contract

award a contract to a company - give one company a contract (when many companies are competing and bidding for contract)
awarded a build-operate-and-transfer contract

handle - to do a project or solve a problem that arises
handle the renovation

stall - a large table or a small building that is open at the front, used for selling things (or for giving people information) รถ หรือแผงขายของ
a 2x2 metre stall

rent - to pay money for the use of something for a period of time เช่า
rent increase

vendors - people who sell things in a market พ่อค้าแม่่ค้า
talked to vendors about the rent increase

objection - a statement that shows that you disagree with a plan, or a reason for your disagreement การแถลงการคัดค้าน
most have no objection

lease - rent เช่า
sub-lease - rent from another person who is renting it (rent from a renter)

stalls - large tables or small shops with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place แผงขายของ
sub-lease the stalls

vendors sub-lease the stalls and pay rents as high as 8,000 baht a month

It awarded a build-operate-and-transfer contract to Pak Khlong Talat 2009 Co to handle the renovation and manage Pak Khlong Talat for 30 years. Rents will then be raised to 2,000 baht per month for a 2x2 metre stall. The company has already talked to vendors about the rent increase and most have no objection. Currently, some vendors sub-lease the stalls and pay rents as high as 8,000 baht a month while the monthly rent the MO collects is only 600 baht.

operator - the company that runs a business
market operator

contact - to communicate with someone   ติดต่อ สัมผัส การพบปะ ติดต่อ ระหว่างคนสองกลุ่ม
contact directly with the market operator

referring to ... - mentioning ... , talking about this thing ...

Under the new system, they will contact directly with the market operator. The new look of Pak Khlong Talat will be seen before Feb 14 next year, Mr Titus said, referring to one of the most busiest days of the market when fresh roses are bought for loved ones. The market will have a 300-metre walkway facing the Chao Phraya River as a new tourist attraction, similar to Asiatique the Riverfront on Charoenkrung Road.

border - the official line separating two areas, regions or countries เขตแดน อาณาเขต
border trade

boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น
boost border trade

distribution channel - the way that the products made by a company are made available to customers (See Wikipedia)

pilot - a small test before the real thing
pilot project

target - the goal (the amount that you want to reach or achieve in some project)
the target is 500 shops in the next three years

After the facelift, the MO will have similar plans for the other four markets. "We hope our markets particularly the one in Chachoengsao will help boost border trade when the AEC is formed. This market is designed to be the central market for seafood in the Eastern Seaboard," he said. Apart from the market renovation, the MO is working on the Otop Smile shop project to develop a new distribution channel for One Tambon One Product goods. Ten shops will be opened under the pilot project and the target is 500 shops in the next three years. The first Otop Smile shop has already been opened in Bang Sai district, Ayutthaya. In Bangkok, three Otop distribution places will be set up in areas under the expressway in Silom, Ploenchit and Ram Intra areas. They will be finished by next year.