Page 13 - Market Times April 2024

FEATURE • TAMWORTH
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Malcolm Pilsbury sells household goods on the market where he has been trading for 16 years
Neil Taylor has been selling fresh fish from Grimsby in the square for the past five years
a massive out-of-town shopping centre which sucked the life out of the High Street here.”
Now Spud Man has turned the tide, and Simon says the increased footfall is helping everyone.
Neil Taylor, who has been selling fresh fish from Grimsby in the square for the past five years, said: “It wasn’t long ago when Ben had to wait until lunchtime for anyone to come and buy a jacket potato, now they are queueing for hours and he was on the television this morning.”
And Malcolm Pilsbury, who has been selling general goods here for 16 years, said: “This year I had my best January since I began trading here, and it’s all down to the extra footfall.”
Despite all the internet hype and publicity, Malcolm says Tamworth market remains the same, friendly community market it has always been.
“That’s why I love being here,” he said. “It’s so friendly. I live in Lichfield, but I actually feel more part of the community here than where I live.”
FACTS & FIGURES
l Market days: Tuesday and Saturday l Market rent: £36 a day for a 3x3
gazebo
l Tamworth’s claim to fame: once a centre for cotton, Tamworth in Staffordshire just north east of Birmingham, now relies on logistics, engineering, clothing, brick, tile and paper manufacture. Attractions include Tamworth Castle, a medieval church, an indoor ski slope and Drayton Manor Theme Park. Del Boy’s iconic three-wheeler Robin Reliant cars were made in Tamworth until 2001 when the factory closed.
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