Wednesday, January 14, 2015

News: Rotherham street market extension

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The popular Tuesday street market in Rotherham town centre is set to be extended in a bid to drive footfall and benefit from Tesco's relocation.

The National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) awarded Rotherham first prize in the category of "Best Street / Outdoor Market" at their national awards ceremony in 2012. Since then, the outdoor market has added a fresh produce section and Rotherham Council's Markets Service has recently undertaken consultation with current traders and customers to establish the potential for extending the Tuesday street market from 62 to 95 stalls.

The proposals include extending the market to Effingham Square, which was revamped as part of the £40m Tesco development, and is intended to attract customers and draw them from Tesco into the town centre retail area.

Future extensions could see further stalls on both Upper Millgate and College Street creating better links to Corporation Street and High Street and ensure maximum benefit to these areas on market days.

Cabinet Member and Advisers for Business Growth and Regeneration met this week to approve the initial capital expenditure of £48,000 and increased staffing costs needed to extend the market. The money is set to be borrowed from the Public Loan Board with an estimated £25,000- £53,000 of income from renting the new stalls per annum.

The cabinet report stated that there is a trader waiting list and six additional stalls are required immediately with significant interest expected following advertisement of the new opportunities. In addition existing retailers and indoor market traders are also expected to take the opportunity to trade on-street as part of the market.

The Market Service is confident that the additional stalls will be fully occupied within three months of being introduced.

The report from Bernadette Rushton, retail investment manager and Dean Thurlow, the new markets operations manager, stated: "Historically Tuesdays were one of the quietest footfall days in the town centre, the introduction of the street market provided a much needed boost and Tuesday is now consistently one of the busiest days of the week with retailers repeatedly highlighting the positive impact that the market has on both footfall and trade.

"Markets are clearly a unique selling point for the town and a key focus of our strategy to differentiate our offer from our competitors; the Tuesday market is the most visible of all the markets that operate and brings vibrancy and colour to the primary shopping streets.

Tesco opened its 110,000 sq ft superstore before Christmas, moving to the site of former council buildings on Drummond Street from a smaller, outdated store on Forge Island.

The report added: "The Tesco relocation has undoubtedly changed footfall patterns across the town centre: a key objective is to ensure the wider town centre benefits from the increased footfall and widened customer base. Encouraging customers to make the trip across Drummond Street and to utilise the wider town centre retail offer is paramount."

Work is also continuing on options for this redevelopment of the markets complex which may range from improvements to the entrances and signage, all the way through to a major redevelopment and reconfiguring of the outdoor markets plus works to the indoor section.

Rotherham town centre website

Images: RMBC

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