Street markets stall the slide
Date published: 06 August 2009
Oldham’s outdoor market will move on to the streets as the council aims to breathe new life into its outdoor venues. Janice Barker visited Middleton where the move to the street was made this year, and found the outdoor market is steadily reviving to the delight of the traders.
The last time I visited Middleton market it was on a nondescript site at the back of the town centre shops, tucked down the side of the leisure centre.
Today it is a bustling town centre venue, cheek by jowl with the established shops in refurbished Market Gardens, right next to the busy Arndale Centre entrance.
More than 40 stalls were open despite windy, wet weather, and the mix of trades had something for everyone — fresh bread, plants, Fleetwood fish, meat, fruit and veg, pet foods, jewellery, games, furniture, clothes and a variety of second hand stalls.
Middleton Gardens has undergone the first phase of a revamp improving paving, planting, and a smart, working, water feature.
Beyond the market and shopping centre, there is a gleaming new bus station. On the other side of town is a brand new £15 million leisure centre, the Middleton Arena.
The old market had been privately managed and had to move in January because its site had been sold to Tesco for a new superstore, another piece of the town centre regeneration jig saw.
But it left town centre manager Jim McMahon with a headache.
“We had no stalls, so we had to get barrows from the shopping centre, pasting tables, anything to keep the market going,” he said
“The Town Centre Partnership was determined not to let the market die.
“Traditionally markets can be a bit of a cash cow, so there is a lack of investment.
“The Partnership has put £40,000 into the market, with stalls which are put up at the start of the day, covered, and have lighting for winter.
“As we generate more profit we will invest more and we want to encourage people to trade for all three days.”
The market opens Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and official footfall statistics, which measure the number of people using the shopping centre by machine, show figures up by 28.5 per cent in June compared with May.
That meant 100,000 more visits to the town centre, and the year-on-year footfall change from June ,2008 to 2009 is up one per cent — against a national fall of 2.7 per cent.
On Fridays and Saturdays stalls increase to up to 60.
Market manager Cain Boswell comes from four generations of market traders and once considered, but decided against trading on Middleton’s old site.
He remembers: “It was sited completely in the wrong place.
“I think they have done wonders moving the market from where it was. It has a reasonable catchment area, it’s the right size and in the right location.
“It’s easy to manage, and see where there are absentees, so you can allocate stalls to casuals quickly.”
For £15.50, traders get their stalls put up at 5.15 am, with lighting in winter, and free car parking. Jim McMahon says it is one of the cheapest markets in Greater Manchester.
The market is still settling into its new site, not helped by major gas main repairs which meant stalls had to be relocated again, but Mr Boswell hopes that by arranging the food stalls in a food court area by the shopping centre, he has created a natural flow from the indoor area, through the market and to town centre shops.
Many traders welcome the new market move, although some were still smarting from relocating twice.
Alan Smith, of Fleetwood Fish, said: “This is proving to be a good spot.
“More people keep coming back and they tell other people. In a month or two it will be worthwhile. It’s raining and this is our first bad day here.”
Michael Morgan from the Southport fruit and veg stall has traded in Middleton for more than two years. He said: “This is a good move, it’s a better site for us.
Plant man Chris Walker, who raises his stock in polytunnels in Warrington, said: “The market is brilliant since it moved.
“It was hard work at the other site, here passing trade is much different. I get one of the earliest stalls up, and this is right on the main thoroughfare. I would not hesitate to tell Oldham to do this.”
Anne Ranson runs a costume jewellery stall three days a week and has been on Middleton market for 25 years.
She said: “Even the bad days are better here.
“Middleton town centre was dying, now the shops say it is really boosting trade.”
Michelle Osborne runs a pet food stall and added: “A lot of my customers prefer it here, and it makes the town more vibrant. Now we are in a routine we are busier.”
