Queensgate Market welcomes new businesses
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: queensgate market Leave a comment »| Queensgate Market welcomes new businesses
Three new businesses have opened at Queensgate Market since the end of April, with a fourth to open later this month. |
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Victoria Centre Market Food Hall – Grand Opening Event!
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: food hall, market, Nottingham, Victoria centre Leave a comment »| Victoria Centre Market Food Hall – Grand Opening Event!The Victoria Centre Market held a grand opening event on Saturday 21 April. It included live cookery demonstrations from top local chefs, plus much much more. The Food Hall was refurbished towards the end of 2011 and re-opened in January 2012. It offers an attractive, modern shopping space with increased area available for food stalls. Victoria Centre Market is Nottingham’s only indoor market, situated on the upper level opposite John Lewis in the Victoria Shopping Centre, attracting over 2.3 million shoppers every year. The Lord Mayor was there to conduct the grand opening and below is the speech that he gave upon declaring it officially open. “Hello, good morning and welcome to the Victoria Centre Market. I was really pleased to receive an invitation here this morning because the City Council is a great supporter of its retail markets, as demonstrated by the significant investment by the Council in this market. For the City Council the market provides an opportunity for people to try their hand at operating a low cost retail business, as identified by Mary Portas’s review in to the future of our high streets and the Council will be offering people the opportunity to trade for free in July as part of the National Market Week. “In July the Victoria Centre Market will be celebrating 40 years in the Victoria Centre and now facilitates over 80 independent retailers, employing 240 people and receives 2.3 million visitors each year. The market offers its customers a wide range of products including beauty products and treatments, computers, crafts and fabrics, flowers and plants, jewellery and fashion clothing. You can also take a break from shopping at one of the five restaurants and cafes in the market. “Today, we are launching the newly refurbished Food Hall. I’m told that there will be cookery and food preparation demonstrations throughout the day and a range of new traders as well as our existing butchers and fishmongers. “I’d like to thank all the market traders for their co-operation during the refurbishment works but I hope that you will agree with me that the wait was well worthwhile. “I’d now like to officially declare the Food Hall open.” |
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The Diary of Darren Bullock – Setting Up a Market
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: council, darren, market Leave a comment »The Diary of Darren Bullock – Setting Up a Market
Step Two – Progress 15/05/2012
I’ve now been in touch with the council and have actually spoken to a senior planner in the south Gloucestershire council; I have been told if the market is to operate over 12 calendar days of the year, then planning would be required. So to help me with this and move forward, I have got a planning advisor on board to help with my challenge. So I do see some gradual progress in my new market venture.
On another note, I advertised on a free website, promoting that a new market would be coming to town and I was looking for people interested in holding a stall and to my surprise I have had four people contact me requesting more information.
So the move is edging ever forward, let’s hope the council don’t, well, ‘council’ it.
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Road Dilemma at Beccles Market
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: beccles, market, waveney Leave a comment »Road Dilemma at Beccles Market
Beccles is a charming market town nestled between the Suffolk and the Norfolk Broads, is home to approximately 10,000 residents and is accessed from the A146.
A market town needs a proper market and this was the plan when finally, after a long period, Beccles Town Council were given back their market from Waveney District Council. The market consisted of only a few stalls along one side of New Market in the town centre. Beccles Town Council wished to expand the existing market and therefore leased it for five years to a Charity, namely Beccles & District Regeneration Ltd, with the Directors mostly made up of members of the Town Council. As a charity it could source funding for the market and their aim was to install electricity points. This was achieved with matched funding by the Regeneration organisation.
There were larger markets held and a trader database was set up, but this was a costly process as the road closure itself was in the region of £170 per time. It was then decided, as the larger markets were successful, that a permanent road closure should be requested from Suffolk County Council who were undertaking a Traffic Review Order, and this became part of that. After consultation over three years, in August 2011 the permanent road closure was installed with monetary support from the Town Council and a Suffolk County Councillor from his Locality Budget. It was now thought that the Market would be getting more customers for both the market and the businesses in Beccles.
As it was still late summer, the market was busy and stalls were aplenty and everyone seemed to be enjoying the freedom the road closure created. But this was not to last.
During October 2011 businesses in the town centre started to show concern that their takings were down on Fridays. They mainly blamed the road closure, as traffic was now steered away from the centre. Although there are plenty of car parks in the vicinity, it seemed that their customers were not frequenting their shops on Fridays.
At first it was felt that this was down to the financial situation everyone was feeling and the fact that a prime town centre Hotel, having been bought by Wetherspoons two years earlier, still had not been re-opened, which was a big blow for Beccles.
Momentum gained pace over Christmas and the New Year with businesses writing to the Mayor of Beccles outlining their concerns. This was not something that the Beccles Regeneration was expecting, and it was looked at with some disbelief! But over the weeks, it was proved to be true and now it seems that the road closure will have to be revoked and traffic allowed to travel alongside the market. This will make life difficult for the traders who have been so supportive and previously excited about the expanded market.
There is to be a meeting held at the Town Council Chambers on Tuesday 1st May where members of the public will be allowed to voice their concerns about the road closure. We await with bated breath the outcome of the meeting as to where the market will stand.
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Trader Done Good.
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: market, trader, sharon pomeroy, harrods, collars, dog Leave a comment »Trader Done Good.
Sharon Pomeroy has just supplied Harrods of London with her stunning handmade leather dog collars. Sharon, mother of 3, started out selling her leather dog collars on Sheringham Market last summer and has just delivered her first order to Harrods of London. Originally supporting and guiding the unemployed back into work, she found herself in a similar situation when the Government cut all funding and she was suddenly without a contract on 31st March 2011. Sharon held seminars on self Market trader does good!! employment and encouraged her customers to look at new markets should there be no work within their original field. Taking a leaf out of her own book she established herself within a completely new market and started designing leather dog collars. This has given her greater freedom and allows her to enjoy working in the stunning North Norfolk woodlands, where creative juices run freely. Sharon is very excited to announce that her stunning leather dog collars are now stocked by one of the world’s most prestigious stores and would like to encourage other people who have a
passion or dream to get out there and give it a go. She has a number of celebrities who love her collars and are happy to give a recommendation and offer photo shoot opportunities.
Her collars have been seen on London Fashion week this year and on “This Morning”. This is a great story to prove that unemployment can merely open new doors and offer one an exciting new opportunity. For more information call Sharon on 07837 407536 or email Sharon@zigwagz.biz
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Stamford Feast
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: fest, market, stall, stamford Leave a comment »Stamford Feast
It’s nearly here!… Stamford Feast-The Big Lunch is a FREE multicultural community food event being held between 10m and 4pm on Stamford Meadows on Monday 4th June!
This event ran for the first time last summer and received a fantastic attendance of 8,000 visitors, subsequently helping the local economy and increasing tourism to the town. Now in its second year and falling on the same weekend as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, an action packed day is planned for everyone to enjoy…
This is much more than just a fun day out… it’s a diverse, innovative, inspirational and inviting multi cultural community project, centred around food and healthy eating.
On offer are: educational advice on cultural awareness; how to sustain a healthy lifestyle through mini projects running on the day; a live cookery demonstration theatre; all day live international entertainment; 100 trade stalls comprising local businesses, farmers, food producers, local chefs, restaurateurs and allotment groups who will come together to showcase their skills and sell their locally sourced products; two kids competitions which will be judged on the day to ‘Make a Jubilee Crown’ and ‘Create Jubilee Bunting’; plus a Chilli Eating Contest for those hardened Chilli-heads… don’t miss out on the opportunity to win some amazing prizes!
From 5.30pm until 10.30pm a picnic in the park will be created on the point of the Meadows where there will be an open air bar and a number of local youth bands performing into the night with a finale of fireworks to round the weekend’s celebrations off. Bring your blankets and chairs and join in with the fun!
The event offers many exciting volunteering opportunities making this event truly community spirited and encouraging community cohesion.
Local schools, colleges, businesses and community groups are already part of the management team so if you want to join them please contact Laura Brant at Laura.Brant@stamford.ac.uk to find out more about how you can become involved.
For more information on the days activities please go to www.visitstamford.com/feast or contact Ali Hawley-Smith on 07791 334221 / alihs@stamfordtownpartnership.co.uk
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Jubilee at Penkridge Market…
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: jubilee, market, Penkridge Leave a comment »Jubilee at Penkridge Market…
Penkridge Market will be holding two fabulous Markets over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend on Saturday 2nd and Monday 4th June. As well as the market stalls, there will be plenty of things to keep the whole family entertained including a Bouncy Castle and cupcake competition. The event will run from 9am to 3pm, with free admission and free parking, making it a fantastic free day out for all the family!
The Market will be decorated with traditional bunting, creating a lovely street party atmosphere. There will be around 70 market stall holders, selling everything from fabulous food to plants, tools, gifts, toys and soft furnishings.
On the Saturday there will be a competition to see who can decorate the best cupcake, with each cupcake then being placed within a giant Union Jack flag design. The winner will be announced on Saturday afternoon, but the Union Jack will still be on display for visitors to see on Monday.
On Bank Holiday Monday (4th June), there will also be a Car Boot Sale, with approximately 50 ‘car booters’ expected. It’s amazing what you can find – everything from tools and furniture,to cheap books, toys, CD’s, DVD’s and even the odd antique.
If you want to take part yourself and turn some of your unwanted possessions into cash, then simply turn up on the day from 7am. The site is all hard standing (so no muddy fields) and with a fee of just £8 per car, you’re bound to make a great profit!
Matt Williams, Manager of Penkridge Market said:
“We’re really excited about our Jubilee weekend and have purposefully kept the event free of charge so that everyone can come and enjoy our Jubilee celebrations. The great thing about our site is that we have an indoor market as well as a hard standing area, so it’s a brilliant day out whatever the weather.”
Penkridge Market is situated in the centre of Penkridge, and is signposted off the A449. It is easily accessible from Junction 12 of the M6 and is only 6 miles from Stafford; 7 miles from Cannock and 10 miles from Wolverhampton (postcode ST19 5AP). Admission and parking is free.
For further information please telephone 01785 714221 or log on to the website www.penkridgemarket.co.uk
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nabma -The Voice of Local Authority Markets.
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: love your local market, market, mary portas, nabma, national market day, portas report Leave a comment »nabma
The Voice of Local Authority Markets.
By the time this article is published we will be on the verge of Love your Local Market fortnight and National Market Day. A lot of hard work has been put into making the fortnight a great success. At the outset we pledged to involve at least 200 markets and offer 1,000 new pitches. As I write this article I am not sure that the targets have been achieved but, based on the feedback from our membership and the enthusiasm shown by markets around the country, then we will be very close to our objectives.
I know that some markets are not taking part. Obviously they will have their own reasons for making this decision but I have to question their motives for providing a market service. Given the publicity markets received from the Portas Report and the subsequent encouragement given by Government to Love your Local Market and National Market Day, there is no logical reason why a market should not be involved. If we are not interested in getting new traders and getting support for our markets, then is there any wonder that a number of our markets are on the decline.
The launch of National Market Day is taking place at Old Spitalfields Market, London and it will be a great delight to see Young Enterprise Traders and First Pitch traders demonstrating their enthusiasm for market trading. The event at Old Spitalfields will provide a focus for the fortnight of events that is to follow and we will be announcing, at the launch, the final figures of markets and new pitches that have been committed.
Let me just give you a taste of some of the events that are happening around the country:
• Shipley Open Market – Friday/Saturday 22nd and 23rd June 2012.
A two-day market event will involve erecting additional stalls on the pedestrianized areas opposite the market and promoting opportunities to “trade for a tenner”. The event will be supported with entertainment, give aways and cookery demonstrations from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food Team.
• Bromley Town Centre Market – Saturday 23rd June and 30th June 2012.
This will include an avenue of union flags. There will be stalls for a tenner on Friday 29th June with the emphasis on new start-up businesses.
• Manchester will be providing additional stalls for traders to try on the City Centre Markets, Real Food Market, Fair Trade Market and on the District Markets. These will be offered at no charge on a first come first serve basis.
• Stoke on Trent are offering a new business start-up clinic which will comprise of an advice stall and customer awareness programme. Stoke are also running stalls for a tenner and all attendees will have the option to pitch free “£10 stall” via a dragon’s den type activity.
• Calderdale – a food festival is scheduled around the Halifax Market at the start of Love your Market fortnight. Most of the Halifax Market venues will be offering half the normal charge for any trader wishing to establish themselves in a new line not represented on any of the markets. A programme of events at each market is planned throughout the fortnight. In July the Calderdale Market Team is holding a Children’s Market trading activity, catering for 48 primary school children over two days.
This is just a sample of what is happening and it promises to be a fantastic fortnight. Of course we need to know the impact that Love your Local Market and National Market Day makes on the markets industry and we are delighted that we have secured funding from Government to undertake an evaluation of the project. We will be undertaking a national survey and, at the same time, looking at two or three specific locations to see how Love your Local Market and National Market Day had an impact. In particular, we will be looking at footfall, increase of market traders, economic activity and trader turnover and seeing whether we can actually make a case out for making Love your Local Market and National Market Day annual events.
Amongst all this activity we are also looking forward to the NABMA Annual Conference in September. The theme of that Conference will be Tomorrow’s Markets and we will be thinking about the shape of the market industry in the years ahead. We will be getting plenty of feedback on the results of the 2012 Retail Markets Survey and also preliminary reports on the success of Love your Local Market and National Market Day. NABMA’s Annual Conference is the centrepiece of the market industry calendar and we would encourage all those involved in the market industry to come to Harrogate and share in the Conference and networking that takes place. If you are interested in finding out more about NABMA’s Conference, please contact nabma@nabma.com or telephone the office on 01691 671080.
Graham Wilson,
Chief Executive,
Nabma
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You love Markets, We love Markets…….I LOVE MARKETS
Posted: May 3, 2012 Filed under: Market News | Tags: London, markets Leave a comment »I Love Markets launches and London’s most famous markets come to life online
“We believe that London boasts some of the best markets in the world and we want to shout about it!” Katie Ingham, I Love Markets, CoFounder. www.ilovemarkets.com
We are pleased to announce that the I Love Markets website has now launched. The I Love Markets concept is the first of its kind, bringing together London’s most loved markets and market areas online. We want to keep London’s markets thriving by giving them the credit that they deserve. London’s markets are booming with creativity and culture and offer visitors much more than your regular shopping experience. Join us in celebrating London’s markets.
Click here to view the full press release, www.ilovemarkets.com/london/press
Major Town Centre Makeover Gets Green Light
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Major Town Centre Makeover Gets Green Light
A £1.2 million package of improvements is to help breathe new life into Newcastle’s town centre.
Part of the proposals agreed by the borough council’s Cabinet will help revamp the town’s historic market.
There will also be additional pedestrianisation and changes to the positioning of taxi ranks.
Cabinet backed a scheme which will knit together the upper and lower parts of High Street, expand and improve the appearance of the market and create better public transport links.
Studies reveal that the closure of Hassell Street and the refurbishment of the market are vital as part of a range of measures to improve the attractiveness of the town centre for shoppers and investors.
The initiative, developed in partnership with Staffordshire County Council, will pedestrianise Hassell Street between Market Lane and Friars Street from 10am to 4pm every day.
The market will be given a facelift, including the installation of new stalls in a changed layout that will see new pitches in Hassell Street between Market Lane and High Street.
An extra daytime taxi rank will be created at lower High Street and the existing Hassell Street rank will move to the Ironmarket during the day, which will create seven more spaces for Hackney carriages. The rank at Merrial Street is unaffected.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has contributed £415,000 to the scheme, which is scheduled to start this year.
Extensive public consultations have taken place to help shape the proposals.
Cllr. Robin Studd, Cabinet member for regeneration and planning at the borough council, said: “This programme is part of the borough council’s ongoing commitment to town centre investment and is intended to help breathe new life into Newcastle town centre’s economy by making it easier and more pleasurable to shop there.
“Revitalising the declining market is critical because a thriving presence for shoppers and traders is important to our ancient market town identity. To do nothing is simply not an option.
“Closing Hassell Street during the day will have wider benefits for the town centre by joining up the two different sections of High Street which are currently severed by traffic.”
Cabinet members considered a consultation report which shows that almost half of the 500 people who responded supported the road closure plans while 30 per cent said they are more likely to spend longer in Newcastle as a result of the measures.
Cllr. Mike Maryon, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “This is another example of one of the county council’s highways projects making a real difference to the local economy.
“Our top priority is the county’s prosperity and we’re pleased to work with our colleagues at the borough council to improve Newcastle town centre.
“Newcastle really has a bright future following the recent announcement on the major regeneration plans.”
As part of the consultation process, proposals were changed to accommodate 24 hour, two-way access to the Friars Street delivery area for businesses.
Possible proposals to merge the Wednesday and Thursday markets will be discussed at a later date.
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