Page 3 - Market Times October 2024

ON THE COVER
Times FEATURES
Scarborough — p12
Alnwick — p36
October 2024
Mold — p18
Moreton-in-Marsh — p42
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Britain’s first seaside resort has a market to be proud of
t may not be Scarborough’s Iforemost attraction, but the Victorian Market Hall is a source of pride for the traders, shoppers and locals. And tourists who discover it tucked away in St Helen’s Square off the main
tourist track are so impressed they often tell traders they wished they had a market like Scarborough in their hometown.
Opened in 1839, when the UK’s first-ever seaside resort was already a magnet for tourists, the Grade ll listed hall was once the largest single-span building in the country.
It has been a thriving concern dthoewmnatrhkeeytehards,fabluletnaodnechaadredago times. Penny Beniston, Scarborough and Whitby market superintendent for North Yorkshire Council, said: “When I first visited the market there were a lot of elderly shoppers and it was not very welcoming,” she said.
“I remember going in one door and then out the other. It was very dark and there was nothing that sparked any interest.”
But a £2.8 million refurbishment completed seven years ago completely changed the vibe, creating a bright, 21st century
market hall with new stalls and a new mezzanine floor.
On the ground floor, the large stalls in the central area were knocked down and replaced with low level stalls which create a more open space and there is a large seating area served by an impressive, deli, cafe and bar. All the anchor food businesses do well here including the butchers that has been in the market for more than a century, a fish stall and an impressive fruit and veg offer.
The new mezzanine floor on three sides of the hall is accessible by lift and stairs, with arty crafty baluosningetswseosshidoeuseadndinascmoamllfourntiatbsle cafe and seating area complete with sofas to encourage dwell time. The windows that were previously blocked by wooden units now offer a vista across Scarborough to the castle.
And the basement, once a bonded warehouse, has been converted into a warren of units, known as the Vaults, which is now home to crafty, vintage and quirky businesses.
Penny says the main market is full, with a total of 45 traders, although there are a couple of spaces in the Vaults if anyone is
Penny Beniston is North Yorkshire Council's Scarborough and Whitby market superintendent
FEATURE • SCARBOROUGH MARKET HALL 13 Scarborough Market Hall has flourished since it was
transformed in a £2.8 million revamp that turned it from a tired and dated retail space to a bright and welcoming shopping environment. Nicola Gould sees how small improvements can make a big difference
tempted.
“The core traders have been here a long time, but we have comings and goings, with some traders outgrowing their units and moving into shops, and others changing direction,” she said. Penny took over the management of the market hall shortly after the refurbishment was completed. She was perfectly qualified, having started her working life serving on the fruit and veg stalls in Idlewells Market
in Nottinghamshire run by the late Hampton Flint, a former NMTF President and a legendary figure in market trading.
“I have been at Nottingham fruit market at four in the morning and I do understand market traders and the challenges they have,” she said.
Spells in hotel management, then stately homes, taught her that people are looking for more from then just a simple shopping experience when they visit a
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Times
October 2024
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Alice Smith — our Young Trader of the Year 2024
Alice Smith is outstanding winner at Young Traders Market 2024 national final — p4
A stunning market in Mold that serves its community well
36
Alnwick Market is
FEATURE • ALNWICK
FEATURE • ALNWICK
These days Alnwick Mar- ket is a picture of health and vitality, with a full contingent of gazebos filling its traditional home, the me- dieval market square at the heart of this ancient Northum- berland town.
The number of market days has increased from two to four in the summer and footfall is plentiful, with an ever- ianttcrraecatseidngbynuthmebbeurrogfeotonuinrigsts
number of stalls and the eclectic mix of crafts, gifts, fashion and goodies.
Yet it wasn’t always so. It’s hagarodthtoebmealirekveetbwuatsjounsttaheyear
verge of collapse after the large, private operator that had the lease announced that it was shutting up shop from October. The traders, whose numbers had dwindled to around 14,
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labour of love she produced leaflets and launched a Facebook page called All About Alnwick eight years ago to encourage more people to visit the town and patronise its shops, eateries and to visit the market. She is also a
bigger and better than
ever — that's champion!
In just 12 months Alnwick Market in Northumberland has gone from the verge of closure to a full market that has become so successful it has traded four days a week all summer.
Nicola Gould meets Tracey Sprigg who has brought about the dramatic turnaround
were devastated. Many relied on the three months running up to Christmas to boost their incomes.
Fortunately, a community- minded Alnwick woman was not prepared to sit back and let the market die.
Tracey Sprigg stepped up to the plate and persuaded Northumberland County Council to allow the sNtaolrlthoulmdebresrtloantdraHdealilnon
Market Place in the run-up to Christmas.
The relocation proved a success, and that convinced the
DEsutkateeo, fwNhiocrhthhuomldbserthlaencdharter, to offer her a year-long lease to run the market from April to this December, its traditional trading months.
Tracey hails from Whitley Bay and arrived in Alnwick 17
Tracey Sprigg has saved Alnwick market from decline and transformed it into a thriving concern and a growing tourist attraction
years ago to run a bed and breakfast. “I fell in love with Alnwick but I noticed there wasn’t a lot of marketing to promote local businesses,” she said.
So Tracey began some marketing herself and as a
Alnwick is famous for its castle, home to the 12th Duke of Cumberland who holds the ancient market charter, and as the fictional Howarts in the popular Harry Potter films
t
Widnes — p24
Sheringham — p30
A stunning location for the premier
Cotswolds market
A modern market in a traditional setting
Sheringham Market in North Norfolk is back on the right track
Alice maps a route to become the NMTF’s Young Trader of the Year 2024 4 Bradford’s new market opening delayed until ‘next spring’ 16 Is business insurance really worth it? 22 Back to Shakespeare country for the NMTF’s annual conference 23 Manchester’s Church Street Market has closed its shutters for the final time 29 Brighouse traders move to temporary home 29
NMTF’s Spring Into Markets guide for new traders is online — and completely free 40 Campaign for fake-free markets celebrates 15th anniversary 41 NMTF strengthens member support team 46 New poster warns market operators and traders over illegal misuse of bread baskets 46
Free online business listing for members
Operators — check your Market Near Me entry 47 Advertisers index 47
NEWS, REPORTS etc
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Editor: Roy Holland 01226 352808 • Assistant Editor: Vanessa Higginbottom 01226 352812 • Journalist: Nicola Gould • Email: [email protected]
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