Newly set up stalls selling light meals or cultural and creative products, the operators of which were chosen by a public tender earlier this year, in Taipa Market started their trial operations yesterday, after the completion of the wet market’s revamp.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), the public entity tasked with managing the city’s wet markets, says that all of the new stalls are scheduled to officially open in the second half of this month.
Before yesterday, Taipa Market was a traditional wet market selling fresh food and groceries.
The bureau announced its plan in March this year to revamp Taipa Market, converting its first floor into a dining space with 19 stalls for light meals or cultural and creative products as about half of the market’s then 66 stalls were vacant. The renovation project, which also included the setting-up of a stall on the market building’s rooftop (second floor) to be used for a café, got off the ground in June.
After its revamp, Taipa Market now has 52 stalls, comprising 28 on the ground floor, 23 on the first floor, and one on the rooftop.
Previously, there were no stalls on the rooftop.
As previously, the ground floor continues to be used for selling fresh food and traditional groceries.
The 23 stalls on the first floor now comprise four fruit stalls and 19 stalls for light meals or cultural and creative products.
The market building’s renovation relocated the vegetable stalls from the first floor to the ground floor, while the four fruit stalls, which were previously on the first floor, have remained there after the revamp.
The bureau launched a public tender for the lease and operation of the 20 new stalls (19 stalls on the first floor and one on the rooftop) in April, for which 437 bids were submitted. Among the 437 bids, 399 were accepted. The bureau announced the winners of the 20 stalls in August.
After the market building’s revamp was completed earlier this quarter, some of the new stalls for light meals or cultural and creative products on the first floor started their trial operations yesterday.
Before the trial operations commenced yesterday, the bureau briefed journalists on site on Friday about the operations of the new stalls.
During Friday’s media briefing, IAM officials said that all of the 20 new stalls are expected to officially open in the second half of this month.
As seen by the Post on site, only several of the 20 new stalls started their business yesterday, while the remaining ones were still being decorated, or the respective operators were still preparing to start their business.
As seen yesterday, the café on the rooftop was still being decorated as well.
The bureau has set up four dining areas on the first floor and one dining area on the rooftop, equipped with dining tables and chairs.
The wet market is currently open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. IAM officials said on Friday that after the 20 new stalls officially open, the market’s opening hours will be extended to 10 p.m.
The officials also said that the market’s revamp cost about three million patacas.
The government has exempted stallholders of all wet market stalls in Macau from paying rent for many years.
Residents queue to buy pastries from one of the new stalls in Taipa Market yesterday. – Photos: Tony Wong
This photo taken yesterday shows a dining area and stalls still under decoration or preparations for business on the market’s first floor.
