Page 29 - Market Times April 2024

FEATURE • BEDFORD 29
One of the UK’s most ethnically diverse towns has a market with something for everyone. Nicola Gould visits Bedford where the market has been a big crowd pleaser since 1166
It feels like there’s a market stall round every corner in Bedford town centre, although there’s no doubt where the heart of the market is.
The town’s historic St Paul’s Square, which has been the market hub since the 1500s, transforms into a sea of fresh produce every Wednesday and Saturday, with 300 square feet of fresh fruit and vegetables on display.
And despite the received wisdom that a market does best when it is concentrated in one spot, Bedford market is doing rather well in its varied locations around town.
Daniel Filby, markets team leader for Bedford Borough Council, said that the market had been in a number of different places in the Bedfordshire town over the years.
More than a decade ago, it was on a car park site, but in recent years the market was split between St Paul’s Square, its historical home where fresh food and produce traders set up stall, and Harpur
Square where non-food traders used to sell their wares.
Like so many markets, Bedford has felt the pain of changing shopping trends and the pandemic hit the traders in Harpur Square particularly hard.
Yet the town and its market have been resilient, perhaps helped by the demo- graphics of the place. Bedford is one of the most ethnically, culturally and linguis- tically diverse towns in the country, with residents tracing their roots to countries and continents including Italy, India, East- ern Europe, Scandinavia, Africa and the Caribbean.
Many locals have a culture of market shopping, and the market is not just a place to buy fresh produce, household items and fashion, it is also a melting pot for a diverse community where people meet and mingle.
Daniel said that after Covid the decision was made to move the traders from Harpur Square to the pedestrianised retail
heart of town along Midland Road and All Hallows.
The trend of working from home had depleted the town of office workers, with some offices now being converted to residential.
Also, Harpur Square was the town’s main events space, which meant traders had to be relocated on Saturdays when an event was being staged.
Most of the major retailers such as Primark were in the wide, pedestrianised zone, and it made sense to move the general traders to the streets with the best footfall.
As so often happens with change, not everyone was on board, but the relocation seems to have worked well for both traders and retailers.
Shops report that their best days are market days, and the traders seem to feel they are finally in the right spot.
Daniel said: “It is unusual to have traders in different locations, but it works for
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