Penkridge Market seeks New Apprentice…

Are you a young budding entrepreneur - An Alan Sugar in the making? Well Penkridge Market may be the start of a very successful career.

The owners of Penkridge Market have announced today that they are launching a new initiative to help school leavers start their own business. They are offering any young entrepreneur, the opportunity to take a free stall on the Market, for two weeks, to see if their business idea works. If the stall is a success, the candidate will then be entered into a competition to win a long term pitch on the stall at a discounted rate, plus help and advice from the Market Manager and other Market Traders.

The competition is open to anyone aged 16 – 19 years old, who lives in Penkridge or the surrounding area. The winner will receive a 6 month pitch on the Market at a discounted rate, plus advice on marketing, sourcing suppliers and general business support from the Manager and other experienced Market Traders.

Matt Williams, Manager of Penkridge Market said:

“We know how tough it can be to start up a business at any age, but especially when you’re young. We’ve noticed one or two really bright, enthusiastic young people on the Market and we just wanted to give everyone a chance... and who knows where it might lead to, we could have another Alan Sugar in the making!”

Lord Sugar did indeed start his career at the tender age of 16 as a Market Trader and is now reported to be worth an estimated £770 million, making him one of the richest people in the UK! He started by simply selling car aerials and electrical goods out of his van and then moved on to selling homemade shampoo! At the grand age of 21 he started his most well-known and successful business, Amstrad, and the rest, as they say is history!

Matt is kindly offering a 10 foot pitch on the Market on a Saturday and if you don’t have the necessary equipment, he will even provide you with a table.

The Market attracts up to 5,000 people every Market day, from around the Region, including people from as far as Telford, Stoke and Walsall. It is therefore a great place to test out a business idea and to attract new customers.

Penkridge Market is situated in the centre of Penkridge, and is signposted off the A449 (postcode ST19 5AP).

For further information and to book a stall on the Market please call Matt Williams on 01785 714221. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

The Teenage Market

How a successful grass roots initiative in Stockport is now being launched nationally. The Teenage Market was created by teenage brothers, Tom and Joe Barratt, in their hometown of Stockport, to give young people free market stalls to try out their creative business ideas. The initiative was developed with the help and support of Stockport Market Manager, Paul Downs and his team, who gave the brothers the use of the renovated Indoor Victorian Market Hall free of charge. Tom and Joe believed that there should be a specialist market designed specifically for the large population of young people in the town, which would give them a free platform to be entrepreneurial, try out a new a business idea and sell creative products.

The concept of The Teenage Market immediately captured people’s imaginations and became an instant hit with young people in the North West. The Teenage Market gave young people who were already selling online a chance to trade at their local market and inspired those who have never considered the idea of trading on a market to give it a go.

Eighteen year old trader, India Wood, said: “The Teenage Market really brings the community together and makes the town a much nicer place. It gives aspirational young people a great opportunity to start something they could be very successful in and creates a totally different view of teen culture than is normally portrayed in the media.”

As well as a creative retail offer, The Teenage Market also included a performance element, giving a much needed, free platform to local performers and large community groups, to showcase their unique skills and talents. The Teenage Market quickly gained local, regional and national media attention and received online backing and support from the Queen of Shops herself, Mary Portas, who described the event as “unique, innovative, inspiring and game-changing”.

Stockport MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Markets, Ann Coffey, has also lent her support to the initiative, which she said: “offers young people an amazing opportunity to showcase their talent and a place to sell their goods.” She went on to say: “a new generation in our market place with their enthusiasm and vitality is proving a magnet to young and old and a powerful regenerative force. Every town should have a Teenage Market.”

The fusion of creative retail and live performance, created a thriving, bustling marketplace in Stockport which has acted as a catalyst to attract a new generation of shoppers and increase footfall to the market area. This achievement led to the brothers being awarded financial support for The Teenage Market from Stockport Council’s Business Challenge Fund which is now enabling them to develop the idea on a national level so that other towns can benefit from the influx of creativity, diversity and community spirit the events bring to market areas.

The brothers had received so many requests to run The Teenage Market in other towns around the country, that they came up with the idea of licensing the event and have created a toolkit from everything they have learned, which includes tips and advice as well as templates for marketing materials, which include the bright, eye-catching branding of The Teenage Market.

As well as this, the brothers have also developed an online portal which will make the management and promotion of each Teenage Market event incredibly easy. From the click of a button, organisers will be able to input the date, time and location of their Teenage Market and then use social media tools to share it online and invite traders to take part.

The national launch of The Teenage Market is being fully supported by NABMA, who are making the initiative a core part of Love Your Local Market 2014, as they look to focus on finding more ways to engage young people with market areas. NABMA CEO, Graham Wilson OBE, said: “The success of the Teenage Market is a clear indication of the positive contribution that young people can bring to markets and help secure the future prosperity of our industry”.

For more information on The Teenage Market visit www.theteenagemarket.co.uk

If you are interested in purchasing a Teenage Market licence and running Teenage Markets in your town then please email info@theteenagemarket.co.uk

The new Moor Market Hall in Sheffield

The new Moor Market Hall in Sheffield is now well on the way to completion for the intended opening date of Monday 18 November 2013. Trader interest has been phenomenal, with 150 applicants received so far for the 95 or so spaces. As a result, the allocation process took longer than we expected to ensure we scored each trader accurately against the set criteria and we got the balance of trade right to ensure trader success and ongoing public interest. The most challenging units to let were the cafes, where we received almost 30 applications for the 12 available spaces, but we now believe we have a mouth-watering selection of food outlets to sample, from good old top quality fish and chips to Afro-Caribbean, English, Italian, Mexican and Asian. The non-food side was also massively oversubscribed, but again, by taking account of trade balance, we believe we have provided an attractive offer for both traders and customers alike.The one area where we still need traders is for the food side of the market and as a result we would love to hear from traders who sell specialist and local produce and in order to help potentially new as well as established traders, we are offering financial assistance with fit out and rental incentives during the first year of trading.

We would especially love to hear from you if you sell cupcakes, celebration cakes and pastries, diabetic foods, Halal meat and foodstuffs, specialist cheeses and yogurts, handmade chocolates and confectionery, specialist sausages and meat products, smoked meats and hams, jams, pickles and preserves, speciality pies and pastries and other ethnic foods. The building itself is looking great and puts right all the issues we have had with the current Castle Market, the main one being that is all on one easily accessible floor with entrances serving public transport, the 650 space adjoining multi-storey car park and the main one for pedestrian traffic straight off the newly refurbished Moor precinct. Plans are now well advanced for the official opening, which will be over the weekend of the 22 November. We are also particularly interested in hearing from chefs, both professional and amateur, who fancy showing off their culinary skills on our demonstration kitchen, the only proviso being that the main ingredients are sourced from the market.

 

www.markettradenews.com

www.twitter.com/markettradenews

www.facebook.com/markettradenews

New Apprenticeship scheme launched to retailers and market traders nationwide

A NEW scheme to help retailers and market traders to recruit talented apprentices is set to be launched across the UK this summer.
The Retail Apprenticeship Scheme (RAS) was piloted last year in a select number of cities but will now be rolled out nationwide to retailers of all sizes – from family businesses and market traders to shopping centres and national chain stores.

The scheme, developed by the National Skills Academy for Retail, will be launched to coincide with Independents’ Day on July 4, a national campaign which gives a voice to the UK’s independent retailers by encouraging people to shop locally and celebrate diversity on the high streets.

RAS – which aims to meet the increased demand for a pool of skilled young retail trainees – has been given the backing of a range of trade associations including:

·         British Independent Retailers Association
·         National Market Traders Federation
·         British Council of Shopping Centres
·         National Federation of Meat and Food Traders
·         National Association of Goldsmiths
·         Association of Cycle Traders
Jane Rexworthy, Head of the National Skills for Academy for Retail, said the pilot scheme had proved that there was a strong appetite for retail Apprenticeships.

“RAS was initially set up to help smaller, independent retailers and market stall holders to take on talented young apprentices, without having to worry about any HR or administration issues. We have already created Apprenticeships at retail businesses in cities including Manchester, Lincoln and Sheffield, and felt that the time was now right to roll the programme out nationally.
“We are also opening up RAS to retailers of all sizes, from independents who may wish to take on one apprentice up to chain stores and national groups where there is a desire to create a whole cohort of Apprenticeships.
“We have received great support for the scheme from organisations such as the NMTF and BCSC which understand the benefits of taking on a RAS apprentice – the quality of delivery, high levels of support, a boost in productivity and ultimately a reliable and skilled member of staff.”
Jane Rexworthy said that while a large percentage of SME retailers could be interested in taking on an apprentice, many were hesitant due to fears over how long it would take to set up and the additional support a young person would need.
“The aim of the Retail Apprenticeship Scheme is to take away all these fears and remove the barriers for retailers in taking on an apprentice,” she said. “The core benefit of RAS is that the apprentice is employed directly by us – this reduces the risk, cost, time and administration for retailers.
We also manage the whole recruitment process, preparing the young people for their new roles with training in core retail skills and matching up each business with a suitable apprentice. There is even an option for smaller businesses to share an apprentice, further easing the burden of cost and responsibility.”
Any retailer looking to take on an apprentice through RAS will be supported through the National Skills Academy for Retail’s UK-wide network of skills shops, which are able to support businesses at a local level.
The number of people studying for Apprenticeships has continued to grow steadily over the past five years and they are now considered a relevant, worthwhile alternative to University study. There are currently more than 3,400 vacant Apprenticeships nationwide in Retail and Commercial Enterprise (*National Apprenticeship Service website; May 21, 2013).
For more information on the Retail Apprenticeship Scheme visit www.nsaforretail.com or call 0207 462 5089

Exciting new street market opening in Bowes Park N22

A vibrant new street market in north London is happening on Sunday 16 June 2013 between 11am – 4pm in a unique trial run. Myddleton Road Market will be in Bowes Park (near Wood Green) and is for local traders and those across the capital.
Supported by Haringey Council and the Bowes Park Community Association, the first Myddleton Road Market will feature stalls selling a variety of international street food, artisan bread, cakes, coffee and preserves and sauces at reasonable prices. It will also have charity, crafts and clothing stalls for those who want to do more than tickle their taste buds. Younger visitors can take part in face-painting and ping pong, while busking and a Pimms tent will entertain the adults.
Myddleton Road Market is being organised by a group of local residents passionate about Bowes Park and who hope the much-needed market will shine a light on the beloved but neglected street. Myddleton Road is a designated Local Shopping Centre within the Bowes Park conservation area, and has a rich history.
The market will be situated on the section of Myddleton Road between Marlborough Road and Palmerston Road near the Greek restaurant Vrisaki. Also close by is hidden gem the New River and the new outdoor gym.
Lucy Whitehead, Market Organiser, said:
“Creating a trial of the Myddleton Road Market has been very exciting to do because Bowes Park really needs a market and people to return to Myddleton Road. We hope everyone comes along on Sunday 16 June because we want Haringey Council to support a regular market and continue regenerating Bowes Park.” 

For more information please contact:
Lucy Whitehead, [Market Organiser]
Mobile: 07958 710 351
Email: lucewhite@gmail.com
www.myddletonroadmarket.co.uk
facebook/myddletonroadmarket
Twitter: @MyddletonMarket

Brixton Market new food hub, the FOOD CORNER

Brixton is renowned for its delicious cafes, restaurants and street food. Now, Brixton Station Road Community Market is bringing you a brand new street food experience, the FOOD CORNER! 5 new hot food traders were chosen for their creativity, flavour, quality and social responsibility.They will be presenting something totally unique and complimentary to the wonderful lunchtime options Brixton Station Road already offers for around a fiver.

We would like to invite you to come down next Friday, the 7th June, and taste the new flavours our market now has to offer! While you treat yourself with food from around the world, you can enjoy live music and the great Brixton Vibe.


What time? From 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Please RSVP by replying to this email
camila.cabral@brixtonmarket.net




This new market project aims to develop the local market economy on week days, providing new trading opportunities in Brixton Market to budding entrepreneurs and, for everyone in Brixton, more delicious meal options at affordable prices. All enjoyed in a lively, buzzy space, where everyone is welcome!

Just 1 minute walk from the tube station, the FOOD CORNER market is located on the corner of Brixton Station Road and Pope's Road, and will operate Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.
We´ve developed a scheme to offer 10% discount to all Lambeth Council, Veolia Environmental Services, Police Station and Recreation Centre staff who visit the Food Corner. All they have to do is show their corporate badge/identification to the traders. If you work in an organization in Brixton and would like to join the discount scheme, please send us an email.

OUR FOOD CORNER TRADERS ARE:

BUNNYCHOW
The original urban Durban street food lands in the UK and debuts in Brixton. Little loafs hollowed out and crammed full of big global flavours. Big helpings of flavourful chicken, mutton, beef & vegetables all coated in bold delicious sauces served in award winning artisan little loafs.

Be one of the first to try the legendary bunnychow!
www.bunnychow.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Bunnychow/426116440814204?fref=ts
Twitter: @thebunnychow

PANGEA
Street flavours from every corner of the world, regularly changing the menu, adapting to seasons and creativity. Rice meals, burgers, grills, kebab, and a wide range of vegetarian options and salads.

www.pangeastreet.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/PangeaStreet?fref=ts
@PangeaStreet

BARE BONE CUE
Low & Slow super tasty Pulled Pork! Smoked over apple & cherry with our own spices, rubs, sauces in sourdough from Blackbird

www.BareBonesCue.co.uk
www.facebook.com/BareBonesCue
Twitter: @BareBonesCue

HANOI KITCHEN
Vietnamese hot pots, spring and summer rolls, and vermincelli noodles with a choice of beef, pork, prawn and vegetarian.

www.hanoikitchen.co.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/Hanoi-Kitchen/129171240563221
Twitter: @hanoikitchen

WOODBOX PIZZA
Woodbox offers sourdough ‘street’ pizzas similar to the ones found all over Naples& the surrounding area & beloved by Neapolitans. They make them in front of customers in a wood fired oven from the freshest, ingredients we can find. The sourdough pizza is made from a traditional recipe, freshly prepared and proved for 24 hours. Their ingredients are sourced from quality British producers.

www.thewoodbox.co.uk
www.facebook.com/woodboxpizza
@woodboxpizzavan

Council thumbs-up for Preston Market

Two years of uncertainty about the future of Preston Market ended on 8th May when Council leader Peter Rankin and Jonathan Owen of Quarterbridge gave Traders a thumbs-up for the future. Last year the Council commissioned Market consultants Quarterbridge to research and produce recommendations for their Market operation following their decision to demolish the 1970’s Market Hall and Car Park after structural investigations confirmed rising costs made it impractical to maintain the crumbling concrete building. A packed meeting of Traders from both the Market Hall and adjacent Covered Market heard Councillor Rankin confirm the Council was committed to the Market but now had to consider the options. He said:

“Despite limited resources, the Council remains committed to providing a modern, fit for purpose Market delivering a low cost, fresh, healthy food offer in the City centre.” Traders welcomed his statement, which came after several years of uncertainty about the future. Some 60 businesses trade indoors and on the Covered Market, but following the withdrawal of developers Grosvenor and LendLease from the proposed Tithebarn central area regeneration project it was unclear whether a replacement would ever be constructed. The Tithebarn project involved converting the Victorian open-sided Covered Market into a new Market Hall, but this was abandoned in November 2011 when the anchor tenant, John Lewis, opted for Hammersons’ Eastgate development in Leeds instead.

Since then Preston Council has been exploring ways to replace the Market Hall and re-start the central area regeneration, with most options involving relocating of the Market Hall and releasing it’s site for a mixed-use retail and leisure development.

The report was presented by Quarterbridge Director Jonathan Owen who confirmed the current Indoor, Covered and Carboot operation trades under capacity, but still has a sustainable future within a catchment of 250,000. Traders heard how most of the relocation options are under Council control and not subject to the type of lease which forced the recent closure of Lancaster Market Hall. The report was supported by a retail catchment analysis, which confirmed how the mixture of Indoor, Covered and Carboot operations remains a big attraction to shoppers, with the potential to develop it further.

The Quarterbridge recommendations include:

Replacing the Market Hall with a smaller modernised version - sized to maintain the fresh food offer but ensure 100% occupancy. The size to be dependent on a detailed study of Traders space requirements and the relocation options.

Maintaining continuity of trade by building the new Market Hall before closing the existing building.

Incorporating an Anchor footfall attraction and maintaining the winning combination of Indoor, Covered and Carboot.

Including a Shoppers’ carpark in the redeveloped Market Hall site.

Intensifying use of the Market asset by staging events like Farmers Marts whilst introducing business support through the Federation of Small Businesses.

Jonathan Owen said: “Our research clearly confirms a varied Market operation is sustainable. Our report shows the options the Council need to consider to take things forward”. Responding, Councillor Rankin said: “We welcome the Quarterbridge findings and will now consider all the recommendations in detail before taking any further decisions. We regard the Markets Quarter as the means to kick-start City centre regeneration and are determined to make the best possible use of the Covered Market canopies which are a huge asset for the City”.

The full report can be viewed at www.preston.gov.uk/marketsreport

Big things are happening at Bolton Market...

The redevelopment works at Bolton Market are now well underway with £4.5million funding secured from the councils capital budget and planning approval granted at the end of last year. The scheme builds on the quality and strength of the market’s food offer with improvement works to the building including: replacing the roof on the fish market and also the eastern hall, which houses the non-food section, introducing additional indoor food stalls and a seating area in the eastern hall; and repairing the roof over the western hall which contains the fresh fruit and vegetable traders. Whilst the traders from the non-food section have been moved into a temporary market site on the outdoor market, the market’s popular fruit and veg section and the fish market are open for business as usual throughout the works to avoid any disruption to trade. The refurbished eastern hall will be fitted with multifunctional shop units which can be adjusted easily to accommodate any trader need. Further units have been fitted out to accommodate new food traders. Product lines in this section will include: beauty and fashion accessories; fashion clothing and textiles; household and hardware; food, leisure and sports goods. This is an exciting opportunity for new traders to come and be part of an award-winning market, which is one of the premier shopping destinations in the North West.

To express an interest contact us by email on bolton. markets@bolton.gov.uk or call 01204 336825.

MARKET TRADERS GET MOBILE WITH INTUIT PAY

MARKET TRADERS GET MOBILE WITH INTUIT PAY

INTUIT WAIVES TRANSACTION FEE FOR MARKET TRADERS IN SUPPORT OF LOVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET

To celebrate the start of Love Your Local Market, Intuit has today announced an exclusive offer for market traders taking part in the initiative, to enable them to take card payments from their stalls with Intuit Pay.
Intuit Pay, which enables anyone to securely accept credit and debit card payments anywhere using a smartphone, tablet or computer, is being offered to traders at 1,500 of the UK’s local markets as part of the exclusive partnership deal.

As the UK’s local markets witness a revival in fortunes, traders are looking to new technologies such as mobile payment devices, to ensure they remain competitive. Intuit’s partnership offer aims to support the UK’s local market traders, ensuring they never miss a sale.

Love Your Local Market will be launched today at London’s Portobello and Golborne Road Market by Minister for Local Growth Mark Prisk MP. The initiative is a two-week celebration of market trading taking place across the UK, hosted by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) and supported by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Intuit’s deal with Love Your Local Markets will offer the Intuit Pay Bluetooth chip and PIN card reader at half price to traders at local markets across the UK. Each trader using Intuit Pay will also benefit from £2,500 worth of free transactions for 90 days*.

Graham Wilson, chief executive of NABMA said: “Love Your Local Market is the biggest markets industry event for years. It gives markets the opportunity to attract new traders and show their importance to the local community.

“NABMA is delighted to be working with Intuit, who have proved themselves so successful in helping small businesses, and is grateful for their generous contribution to help both existing and new traders.”

Mark Little, UK MD of Intuit said: “Intuit Pay solves an important problem for the millions of small businesses in the U.K. who don’t currently accept card payments and so miss out on sales or prompt payment as a result. The UK’s market traders are a hugely important part of that small business community.

“Intuit is thrilled to support Love Your Local Market by offering this deal, which we hope will ensure the market traders across the UK can thrive.”

Intuit Pay is already being used by thousands of small businesses across the UK and can add real benefit to market traders who often miss out on larger value sales as customers carry less and less cash.

Sinead Kohler, Sinead Kohler, co-founder of the Crafty Fox Market found that Intuit Pay improved the takings at their market: "We found that customers spent more at the stalls using Intuit Pay, as they weren’t limited by the cash in their pockets”

Stacie Swift, owner of Stacie Swift Illustration has been using Intuit Pay on market stalls and found it a simple way of maximising sales: "Using Intuit Pay means I don’t miss out on people making ‘impulse buys’… I’m not the most tech-savvy person, but I found Intuit Pay really easy to set up and use."

Art put back into Eccles market

Community artists and a team of supporters are putting the ‘art’ back into Eccles market as part of £50,000 plans to revitalise the town centre.

Community arts worker Fay Flatt and photographer Tom Reed are working with traders and their customers to collect stories and photos of market life for use in a permanent display inside the building. Their work and ideas from traders will also be translated by Ordsall artist David Lowther into a giant mural inside the building on Southway.

The market facelift is the first project launched by the new Eccles Town Team, after Eccles was awarded £50,000 from Salford City Council and the government through the High Street Innovation Fund.

The team is made up of local traders, community representatives, councillors and city council staff and has been set up to promote Eccles and drive activities to boost the town. The Town Team will be launched during national Love Your Local Market Fortnight (15 – 29 May).

Councillor Lisa Stone, chair of the Town Team, said; “This is just the start of a series of exciting plans and projects to breathe new life into Eccles. We’re using local talent to revamp the market.

“Fifteen market stalls will be given bright, new, traditional-style green and white canopies and local seamstress Elizabeth Charnley, who runs Darn IT Alterations in Eccles, is making matching bunting to decorate the inside of the building. The interior will also be painted and have new signs designed by Eccles based company Scissor, Paper, Stone. It’s a great way of supporting local businesses.”

And to encourage more people to consider market trading, there will be a ‘market stall taster day’ on Eccles Day, Saturday 18 May with stalls available at a 50% discount on normal rates - just £7 for a full day - alongside the regular farmers market and craft market on that day.

City Mayor Ian Stewart said: “Eccles has a long and proud history as a market town. This is all about reminding people what a great shopping centre they have on their doorstep and encouraging people to shop local.”

Anyone interested in taking on a market stall should contact Eccles market team on 0161 793 3868 or e-mail: kevin.rutter@urbanvision.org.uk  by noon on Thursday 16 May. Restrictions on the type of goods to be sold will apply.

OCR Loves All Your Local Markets

In these tough socio-economic times, it is hard enough for the big high street retail names to survive, never mind your local market traders. Oriental Carpets and Rugs has origins in the market, and now as a high quality, branded rug wholesaler, we pride ourselves on our continued and loyal relationship with market traders throughout the country. In fact, supplying to market traders is the life blood of the company, and as such, we as a company would like to fully throw ourselves behind the excellent movement that is ‘Love your Local Market.’
OCR urges the Great British public to go along to their local events and support their indigenous economy. By organising regional events, this is a great way to not only raise awareness of the markets, but to celebrate the uniquely British traditions and trades and to encourage younger generations to experience the hustle and bustle of market life. In this post-modern world we are so used to shopping in soulless, nondescript shopping centres which could be anywhere in the world. Now is the time to go outside and shop in colour; to feel the goods, to socialise, to haggle. All these are forgotten charms from another age pre-internet. Don’t sit in front of a computer to do your shopping, interact with other people in your area, try the local delicacies, touch the regional goods on offer  and come home feeling satisfied in the knowledge that you have supported your local people.
Go to Dewsbury Market, Llanelli Market and all the way to Birkenhead…Local Markets…we salute you!!

Ruth Oxley
Marketing and Branding at Oriental Carpets and Rugs
www.ocr-rugs.co.uk
info@ocr-rugs.co.uk
01782 747713

Development moves forward at Bolton Market

Work has begun on transforming the indoor market hall at Bolton Market as part of a £4.5 million redevelopment. Contractor Willmott Dixon has started to strip out the old market stalls within the East Hall, which was occupied by non-food traders. Work will also commence this week on refurbishing the hall’s roof. The internal work to strip out the stalls is expected to last around two weeks, while the roof refurbishment will take approximately 12 weeks. After the stalls are removed, preparation work will commence on replacing the internal roof lights. Externally, scaffolding has been erected around the hall to enable the replacement of roof tiles and waste will be disposed of in skips. Shoppers may notice increased activity around the East Hall as the works are taking place, but the market is operating as usual and there should be no disruption to traders. Traders from the non-food section of the indoor market moved in to temporary units on the outdoor market in February and are still offering the usual mix of footwear, bags, make-up, hair accessories, knitwear and electrical goods. 
Shoppers are being reassured that throughout the work the fruit and veg, the fish section of the market, and shops attached to the market will remain open for business. Other improvements that will take place to the market include: introducing additional indoor food stalls and a seating area; refurbishing the roof on the fish market; and repairing the roof over the hall which contains the fresh fruit and vegetable traders. 
Traders are expected to move back in the East Hall before Christmas, and work to the car park and servicing area will finish in 2014. The car park on Moor Lane will also be open as usual but the car park on New Street is no longer operational due to the construction work.
Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said: “Traders from the non-food section of the indoor market have been established in their temporary outdoor units for some weeks and the East Hall has been out of use during this time.
“Shoppers will start to notice more activity around the hall while the roof is being refurbished and the internal section is gutted. However, we would like to reiterate that the market is still open for business while the refurbishment is underway.”
Willmott Dixon was appointed as the main contractor for the project through the North West Construction Hub which aims to deliver a long-term collaborative approach to developments. Since being appointed, the company has held a successful sub-contractors’ open day which attracted interest from a number of local firms. They are currently in the process of appointing a range of sub-contractors for the project. Bolton Market opened in the 1930s and is one of Britain’s oldest food markets. The market has a growing reputation as the premier food market in the north of England, and it was also recently showcased on BBC Inside Out for a project that it runs on getting people to eat healthily. It has won a number of awards including Best Food Market in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2011; Best Indoor Market 2010; and Tourism Retailer of the Year 2009.  Up to three million people visit the market annually. The indoor and outdoor market is open Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. The car boot market is open Sunday, 7.30am to 2pm.
www.markettradenews.com
www.facebook.com/markettradenews
www.twitter.com/markettradenews

Bristol City Council gives the go ahead for street food night markets

The StrEAT Food Collective will be hosting a series of three street food night markets on Corn Street in the Old City area starting on Wednesday 1st May between 5pm and 9pm.

StrEAT is a global street food collective serving food from all over the world. Hot and delicious dishes from countries like Vietnam, India, France and Peru as well as pizza and gourmet burgers will be served. Local residents and workers, students and tourists will be gathering together to enjoy music and food in an upbeat mardi gras atmosphere.

The collective consists of between six to eight stalls. Vendors are people from local communities who are passionate about food and will be serving up ‘the real deal’. The vendors are encouraged to stick to food portions costing around £6 or under and there will be smaller portions for children.

Bristol Mayor, George Ferguson, states;
“I welcome new initiatives such as StrEAT to Bristol. The StrEAT Food Collective underpins Bristol’s drive to promote eating fresh, locally sourced food and supporting independent traders. These new evening food markets bring vitality and complement the city’s cultural offer.”

StrEAT will host three pilot markets on the first Wednesday in May, June and July and if successful, the night market will be rolled out on a weekly basis. St Nick’s traders are invited to stay open and local food businesses will be encouraged to showcase themselves.

John Hirst, Chief Executive of Destination Bristol states;
‘’We are very keen to promote all aspects of street food here in Bristol. The 'StrEAT in Old City’ night market is an innovative initiative which will bring this beautiful part of our city to life in the evenings. Gourmet street food, cooked outdoors by local food entrepreneurs will be a big attraction. This will give us another great opportunity to showcase Bristol as a thriving tourist destination."

The street food scene in London is very well established now and the trend is spreading across the UK. StrEAT only works with the BEST street food vendors in the SW. Some of these vendors can be found operating during the daytime in Bristol including VeeDoubleMoo on Brandon Hill, Meat and Bread at the bottom of Park Street, Wooly Cactus on Victoria Street and Cupp Tea in Quakers Friars.

The Bristol Pound, Destination Bristol and Bristol Junior Chamber are backing the initiative.
For more information on locations and to read the blog visit www.streatfoodcollective.com
You can also follow StrEAT on twitter www.twitter.com/streatuk

Adam Corbally talks Markets.

Whilst at the Airport on a recent trip to Amsterdam, I couldn’t help but get lost in the maze of perfume, pen shops and Pharmacists, not to mention being approached with the golden opportunity of winning a supercar, which is only fit for driving on a grand prix circuit as it is so low to the floor, not to mention the cost of insurance, fuel and, of course, you can’t exactly throw a sack of spuds into the back of Lamboghini!

Whilst trying to find my way out of the shops and make my way to my terminal, it set me to thinking how all of these over priced perfume shops were making it pay?

It seemed that the airport I was in, namely Manchester, had, like every other I have visited in many parts of the world, all had one thing in common, they were BUSY. I mean, these places have every single inch of retail space utilised.

I asked myself the question, what is to be learnt from this experience? Is it to open 10 over priced perfume and pen stalls on markets nationwide? No, certainly not, there is one reason that Airport retail space is, in my opinion, the only retail space in the world that is recession proof, lets face it when was the last time you saw a “closing down sale” or an empty shop in an airport? That reason is FOOTFALL, plain and simple. The retailers are pretty much guaranteed passengers or, more importantly, customers on a daily basis with money to spend and just as important, time on their hands.

OK, so how can we learn from our Airports success and create footfall for our markets and, more importantly, get them to hang around and spend money!?

There are lots of answers out there, although a great one is host an Event! I’m sure by now every market has someone running their social media marketing and advertising campaign, which is a fantastic free way to reach a direct target market and let them know what you have planned. In the early stages of planning an event you can even ask for ideas from your friends/followers on what THEY would like to see on their local market?

Once you have pulled together a few positive like minded people from your market to organise and host an event, it is surprising how this sort of thing can gain momentum and support very quickly. When your market managers see you making the effort they will be more willing to provide support and I dare say you might even be able to squeeze a few quid out of them too.

As I have said before, it is the longevity and viability of markets which is key, so please do make sure that any event compliments the existing traders and more importantly falls on a usual trading day, as the idea is the extra footfall of customers on the day see the market in all its glory and make a return trip the week after, attracts some new regulars and maybe even inspires some new traders!

Ideas for events can be anything to attract footfall, hold a crowd and you needn’t worry about a budget too much as there are lots of people you could attract to perform and use the event as free publicity for themselves and a chance to showcase their product/service. A couple of ideas are - get in touch with your local dance troop and ask them to do 3 performances on the day for nothing in return, to be included in all of the publicity before the event and the chance to sell themselves on the day. Ask your local bouncy castle/face painter/ kids face painter along on the same deal and why not even ask your local beauty college shop to attend and all have fun having taster sessions of treatments? Im sure you may even be able to entice the fire brigade down, use the Fire Brigade as a massive attraction for the kids and in return they get to promote fire safety and prevention. You could involve Schools, Youth Clubs, Martial arts Do Jos, Army cadets and Scouts on the day.

After all the list of opportunities for an event is endless, especially if you have empty stalls. There are so many ways to FILL them!

I can pretty much guarantee that your local newspaper/ radio station would love to promote the event for free if you make sure the most enthusiastic member of your team gets in touch with them with the agenda and as we know, a story gets more attention than an advert and costs nothing!  

I rarely use or like clichés, but it is true to say “If you build it they will come” so start building and please do get in touch via my website as I am keen to hear news of everyone’s ideas and events.

Adamcorbally.co.uk

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NABMA NEWS April 2013

NABMA The Voice of Local Authority Markets.

The Love Your Local Market campaign is now in full swing and we have already had five excellent Roadshows as we build momentum towards the fortnight of the campaign between the 15th -29th May.
Our first call was at Borough Market where a packed audience were able to see the redeveloped market at first hand. It is clear that the redevelopment has enhanced the visual appearance of the market and also Borough's reputation as one of the leading markets in the country. There was tremendous enthusiasm for getting involved and over half the audience were new to LYLM, which is a theme that has continued throughout the Roadshows.
Next stop was Darlington where we heard about the success of the Peoples Market which was a new Sunday Market launched on the back of LYLM 2012. The presentation illustrated lots of new ideas for using social media to engage with your audience and get new traders. The Peoples Market continues to thrive and achieves significant increases in town centre footfall when it is held in the town.
Part of the attraction of LYLM is looking at ideas to launch new markets and Nabma has produced a publication “Getting Started” which has lots of tips to help in setting up new markets. You can download a copy from the Nabma website at www.nabma.com

A central feature of the Roadshows is taking the Nabma offer to more people and providing information about what is happening in the wider markets world. This was a key feature of the Roadshow at Wisbech where the Town Council has recently taken over the running of the market and is already implementing a number of initiatives to engage more effectively with traders and stakeholders.  The BIS consultation on pedlars featured significantly on the agenda and a number of people spoke about the problems they faced in their own areas. This was a consistent theme throughout the Roadshows with no support at all for what BIS is proposing. Hopefully they will listen to the representations.
The two most recent Roadshows were held in Barnsley and Leeds and it is was great to hear of the success stories in both towns and the enthusiasm and skills of the market officers.
Barnsley is one of the biggest markets in the country and the occupancy levels remain consistently high. It is clear that Barnsley has a very proactive approach to stall and shop lettings and this policy has paid dividends. Barnsley is intending to launch a market app during LYLM 2013 and we look forward to featuring this as one of the highlights of this year's campaign.
Leeds was the venue for the next Roadshow and a full house in the conference facility at the Kirkgate Market heard about the Council's proposals for a £12m redevelopment scheme of the market. Leeds is clearly witnessing exciting times and the market redevelopment is a key element of the overall programme. Leeds also told us about the opening of the Marks and Spencer Shop in the Kirkgate Market which brings the company back to their original roots. Perhaps the opening in Leeds might be a first for a new approach from the major High Street retailer. We will watch with interest.
A key part of Nabma's approach to LYLM has been to provide resources to help markets celebrate LYLM in the most effective way. We have produced a media pack, best practice guide and merchandising material. All these resources can be downloaded from the Nabma website at www.namba.com

LYLM 2013 will be launched at Portobello and Golborne Road Market on the 15th May at 10.30 and  prior to that date Nabma will be hosting a Parliamentary Reception on the 29th April to create further interest among parliamentarians and the wider markets industry.
So far over 200 markets have signed up for LYLM 2013. What is encouraging is that over half of these markets  did not take part last year. This year our targets are 500 markets and 3000 new traders. We need your help to achieve these targets. If you have not already signed up please do so now. If you want any information please contact me. Everything you need is on the Nabma website at www.nabma.com

Graham Wilson OBEChief Executive,Nabma

National Association of British Market AuthoritiesThe Guildhall, Oswestry,Shropshire SY11 1PZ.Tel: 01691 680713

Email: nabma@nabma.com

 

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