18 FEATURE Market Reflections By Roger Mills


Post in haste, repent at leisure…


For most people Toby Young would have remained in well-deserved obscurity until the furore surrounding his appointment to a new educational quango. One aspect of the twittering that did for him, though, did make me think. The Grauniad reported he’d deleted all but 8,000 of the 56,000 tweets posted since 2009. Assuming it takes a minute to think up and send one of these stupid brainless contributions 56000 tweets = 933 hours of his life. As a full- time typical 37 hour a week job that’s six months work. Whichever way you look at it, it seems a monumental waste of time. Which is probably why


you’ll hear me often say in ringing self-confident, and probably rather pompously self-satisfied tones, that I DON’T DO SOCIAL MEDIA. What I really mean is that I don’t do Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or any other of these instant messaging services. I do post on various web forums (on average once every two days I find) and I do occasionally review places on Tripadvisor – though with one


exception only when I wanted to let people know about really good experiences. I think folk my age who


simply haven’t grown up with this stuff are wise to treat such concise, instant, irrevocable, chances to make fools of ourselves with great caution. We lack the savvy which makes younger people automatically cautious about the online ‘Rattner moment’. I can’t, to mention one notorious incident, see anyone of twenty one being foolish enough to ‘tweet’ a claim they’d ‘spiked’ a vegan dish expecting it not to be picked up on and slammed instantly. No good claiming you were misquoted or taken out of context or trying to delete the evidence. Someone somewhere will have saved it to bite you back. As, amongst others, Toby Young has found. He’s maybe too old to be messing with this stuff.


... but get it wrong and they will post!


Truth is there is nothing new in Social Media – it’s just people talking to each other. But from a business point of view what it has done is to make word of mouth visible. I don’t claim this as any marvellous insight by the way, it’s pretty obvious. But


it has changed the landscape in quite a profound way. Word of mouth was always powerful but essentially local, so a ‘run out’ worker could move to a village hall twenty miles away and happily work the game again. At least until the local rag came out on Friday. No chance of that now. Which brings me to


Winterfest Crystal Palace. If you missed the story it’s simple. An operator attempted to run a Christmas themed event in Crystal Palace Park. This spot, about as high and exposed as you can get in Greater London, turned very rapidly into a mudbath. Instantly photographs popped up on the web which revealed a very large gap between what was offered in the promotional material and what was available on the ground. This was followed by some very unhelpful publicity courtesy of the Croydon Advertiser showing the ugly looking ground damage following the get out. Again graphically illustrated Why am I on about


this? Simple. The advance publicity promised a market. It promoted it thus (yes even though the site was taken down I still found it in a second): “Winterfest will boast


Talking about wholesale I found myself with camera around London’s Smithfield Market the other day...


a whole host of suppliers sel l ing gi f ts and craf ts within our beautifully lit Noel market, take a stroll down our Noel market and find a truly special gift for your love one this Christmas. There’s nothing more festive than our traditional Noel Market at Crystal Palace’s Winterfest.” Some o f t h e mo s t


vituperative social media comments I saw slammed this aspect of the event with some vigour and it highlighted again the very real danger


of promising more than you can deliver. Sadly the market industry periodically falls into this trap, or others push us into it, and it is one to be avoided. We, or others on our behalf, simply must not over- promise. If we do we’ll quickly regret it. Social media will see to that. Years ago, the media would have had real news to print and a mess up like Winterfest would have been at worst a little local nine days wonder. No longer. One can only feel sorry


for the organisers here, I am not being sarcastic by the way. They are not the first and certainly won’t be the last to find that operating outdoors, leave alone on grass, in the winter months can be challenging. And in a dry cold winter it could well have worked for them. But they and others should note – there is not a limitless supply of festive chalet workers and it’s no good kidding yourself otherwise...


Continued on page 20


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01709 365021 SERVING THE NATION’S TRADERS SINCE 1922 www.market-trader.co.uk APRIL 28 - MAY 11, 2017 Trader’s fears for a Devon market


A stallholder at Plymouth Ci ty Market has told local media that he is increasingly concerned about the number of businesses moving out, despite an ongoing multi- million pound revamp of the 1950s building. With more than a dozen


businesses having left in the last year, the worried t rader , who wished to r ema i n a n o n ymo u s , blamed discontent among stallholders at the market on a “lack of leadership” on the shop floor. But market bosses in the


city have given assurances that they are doing everything possible to keep stallholders happy a s the £ 3 . 5m refurbishment reaches the halfway point. “The current occupancy


rate is quite low,” the trader said, “lower than it was at the height of the recession. There are 27 empty, around a sixth of them. Also the perimeter shops are emptying quickly. “The main issue is the


lack of leadership on the shop floor, so to speak. The management team are uncommunicative; we see them once a week, on rent day, and we have had zero communication regarding the refurbishment works. “All of the traders are


THE MARKET HALL, SCOTCH STREET, CARLISLE (01228) 513991


SERVING THE NATION’S TRADERS SINCE 1922 www.market-trader.co.uk JUNE 9 - 22, 2017 No. 4902 70p City promotes its markets


Market traders are known for providing friendly service and a shopping experience that is very different from the High Street, and a city in West Yorkshire has recently launched a campaign to promote the fact. Bradford is blessed with a


number of markets including the Oastler Shopping Centre, Kirkgate Market and Keighley Market Hall, as well as outdoor markets in Shipley and Saltaire and a successful wholesale market. Now a new campaign – the


first of its kind within Bradford Council’s markets service – has been launched to inform people of the many benefits of market shopping. The Council has teamed


up with the University of Bradford’s Digital Media Working Academy to launch a campaign which is aimed at raising the profile of the district’s markets, using digital and social media to highlight the advantages and benefits they bring. Having taken inspiration


from the World War Two ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, market traders have been actively involved in the bid to encourage more people to support the local, friendly and knowledgeable service they offer. The campaign, which is


due to run for a year, was launched on the same day as the national Love Your Local Market fortnight in May. Khansa Tufail, Bradford


Council’s markets, promotions and projects officer, told local media: “It is David and Goliath; we want to attract people to


these small businesses, many who have been in Bradford for many years and have such a lot of expertise. “The markets have so


much to offer and are part of Bradford’s heritage.” Making the most of social


media, the campaign uses video footage from the market showing traders talk about their own journey in becoming a market trader, the advantages of shopping at the market and the future of markets in Bradford. Other social platforms will


also be used to link back to a main Facebook page. Traders are backing the


initiative, hoping that it will increase awareness of the markets and result in an increase in footfall and trade. Butcher John Smith, who


has a business in the Oastler Centre, told local media: “This is still a thriving market but we have struggled, especially since Morrison’s closed. We cannot manage without the public. “I myself have been here for


55 years. I hope the campaign will help bring more people to the market. As soon as you walk into the market, you save money.” The Second World War


poster theme is being used as a template, with images of real traders in the Oastler Centre superimposed on top to deliver key messages such as: ‘Your Markets Need You’, ‘We Can Do It’, ‘Deserve Local Food’ and ‘Shop for Victory.’ The second phase of


the promotion will focus on Instagram, using local photographers, while phase


Bradford’s Oastler Shopping Centre.


three, due to take place in autumn, will see the launch of Market TV on Youtube.


Reaching out


“The markets are reaching out to the public for support,” explained Khansa Tufail, “highlighting the importance of shopping locally for the welfare of their community, their local economy, employment and entrepreneurship. “Facebook has shifted from


teenagers to parents and more mature adults, and we want to alert them.” The campaign is focusing


on what market shopping really stands for: local, friendly service, spending money that will benefit the local economy, and a departure


from “barcodes, packaging and faceless shopping experiences”. Chris Holmes, of Stickey’s


Honey, said: “I don’t want to take my products to London necessarily, it’s important for me. I’m a beekeeper in Yorkshire and I’m quite happy to sell all my honey in Yorkshire. There are five million customers within 40 miles of here.” Head of the Digital Media


Working Academy, Simon Couth, told local media: “The Working Academy provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates and recent graduates to gain experience of working on a properly commissioned digital project. “We love what the Bradford


Borough Market attack


At around 10pm on Saturday June 3 a terrorist attack took place on London Bridge and at nearby Borough Market. A van drove into pedestrians


on the bridge before three men got out and began attacking people at random with knives.


ISSN 2057–6781 The three men, wearing


what transpired to be fake suicide vests, then ran down to Borough Market, entering the many pubs and restaurants in the area to stab as many people as possible. Seven people died and


almost 50 were injured as a result of the horrific attack. This area of Southwark is


named for Borough Market itself, a wholesale and retail food market and one of the largest and oldest food


markets in London. Speaking soon after the


attack, Chair of Borough Market trustees, Donald Hyslop, said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked by the events that took place around Borough Market last night. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this senseless act. “Borough Market is in the


heart of a strong, diverse and creative community, a community that supports each


other and will pull together to show solidarity in the face of this callous attack. “We would like to thank the


emergency services for their bravery and quick response. We continue to work with the Metropolitan police with their investigations and the Market and surrounding area remains closed at this time.” At the time of going to


press we had been unable to confirm when the market would reopen.


Opening Times: The Market Hall


Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm. Stall opening times vary. Wilko


Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm. T.K. Maxx


Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. Sunday, 11am to 5pm. (Times subject to change).


Markets team is trying to achieve in promoting the traders and what they offer. “They want to attract new


shoppers and we hope that this campaign will help them to reach some different audiences. Our students involved in the filming have become regular shoppers.”


Chesterfield’s


Market Trader of the Year Award


Trader under


investigation for displaying racist flags


Page 20


Sgt Pepper pop-up emporium in Liverpool


Page 10


INSIDE... Page 3


Vote of confidence


Market traders in a North York- shire town have expressed their gratitude to residents and customers for their support. The message comes after


a strong vote of confidence from locals and visitors alike


ISSN 2057–6781


to keep Pickering’s Monday market in Market Place, rejecting a proposal to move it to the town’s Ropery car park. Stallholder Joanne Dawson


told local media: “I just want to publicly thank all the customers and shop holders – they’ve given us a lot of support.” Overal l 81 percent of


those who responded to the consultation were in favour of


keeping the market in Market Place, including 100 percent of traders asked. The market recently moved


back to Market Place after a brief stint in the Ropery during roadworks. Al though Ms Dawson


admitted she hasn’t had any confirmation that the matter is settled, she said: “At the moment it’s looking like it’s in our favour.”


aware of the fact that it is vital to present ourselves professional ly and that customers will only come if we have goods worth buying – we are running businesses. “The market management


team do not feel that their role is to help develop footfall to the West End and the market.


As far as they are concerned they are administrative management only. That doesn’t work.” The trader compared


Plymouth’s market to the successful Bury Market in Greater Manchester , describing the management team at Bury as “proactive” and accusing Plymouth bosses of failing to entice customers.


Retirements


Although occupancy levels at the market are currently 83 percent compared to 92 percent at this time last year, a spokesperson on behalf of the market and the council said this was due to a number of personal trader issues, including retirements. They added that five stalls


and three shops have been let to new traders since building work on the facility commenced. The spokesperson told


local media: “This is a £3.2 million refurbishment project which will secure the future of the market as an anchor shopping destination for the city for many years to come, and work on this scale was always going to take time and cause some disruption. “We expected that the


works may have some impact on footfall and the situation has not been helped by current development works in Market Way, which has resulted in the road being closed.” In response to the trader’s


claim that stallholders have not been kept informed, the spokesperson said everyone was initially briefed in 2016


Launch of register of approved wholesalers


Page 10 No. 4899


INSIDE... Page 3


70p


Hartlepool trader’s ingenious parking plan


Page 19


Plymouth City Market, where a £3.5m refurbishment is taking place (Photo: Murray Stanley)


when the market announced the cont ract had been awarded to Ryearch. “We not i f ied that this


would be a 12 month project and there would be some disruption,” the spokesperson continued. “We have made every


effort to keep disturbance to a minimum at all times, regularly liaising with Ryearch and agreed to avoid building works through December – the market’s busiest time – and carry out the majority of the work out of hours. “The market management


has made huge efforts to keep traders up to date, with monthly newsletters about


the project’s progress.” The spokesperson also pointed out that extra efforts had been made to ensure shoppers were aware that the market was still open while the work was taking place: “To try to keep visitors coming through the doors we have had numerous articles in the local media, not just about the works but new trader profiles. This has been reiterated on social media. “The scaf folding has


been dressed with banners and signs, internally and externally, to promote the fact the market is open as usual.” “The market management


meet with the chairman of the traders association on a regular basis and is not aware of any concerns that have not been addressed by either PCC or Ryearch.” The current renovation


work has been funded by Plymouth City Council in an attempt to make the most of a locally iconic example of Plymouth’s post war architecture. The council has already


invested £80,000 in upgrading dated toilet facilities at the market. City planning chiefs gave


the ambitious market project the go ahead in April last year after a consultation process with market users. The huge revamp will


cost £3.5million altogether and will see the art deco building entirely redecorated, a special waterproof coating applied to the roof and flat parts of the roof structure fitted with solar panelling.


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