New lease of life for Burnley market (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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New lease of life for Burnley market
4:35pm Friday 20th July 2012 in Burnley
MARKET traders are set to be offered up to a 50 per cent discount on rents to tempt them to establish stalls in Burnley.
Several plans have been drawn up to entice more stallholders to the market.
Markets manager Colin Hill said efforts were being made to widen the appeal of the market, which dates back 718 years.
He said: “Burnley Market is offering for prospective tenants a range of lease options ranging from three months up to three years.
“This is effectively to enable newcomers to try before entering into what would normally be longer term leases.
“To help this along we are also prepared to allow a four-week trial period.
“For those newcomers looking to trade in lines that we do not already have we have agreed with the tenants’ association to offer heavily incentivised schemes for those prepared to commit for a first 12-month period.
“These leases start off at very high discount levels with the discount then reduce as they approach the end of the lease with the intention being that trade has built up enough to then warrant taking on a full paying.
“Across a year, that equates to a 50 per cent reduction in what they pay.
“Those trading in the same lines as existing tenants will pay the same as those tenants.”
Funding of £343,000 has still been included in this year’s council budget for improvements to the open market, off Curzon Street.
The market is currently around 80 per cent occupied with around 90 stalls. Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle was pleased to hear the market was “performing well” but said he had been approached by some stallholders who still had concerns for the future and council leaders had agreed to meet a delegation in the near future.
Comments(12)
mavrick
says...
5:14pm Fri 20 Jul 12
prince of darkness
says...
5:31pm Fri 20 Jul 12
mavrick wrote:To pay for car parking adds to cost of shopping. This is taken into consideration when I go into town. No wonder town centre shops not pulling in the trade.
The Market has to be cheap and big to attract people. If the council can get their heads around the fact that Market stall holders are not an easy source of income, they may keep the Market vibrant and even increase it. people need to get into a shopping habit. In a recession simply stack it high sell it cheap.
PADIHAMLAD
says...
5:36pm Fri 20 Jul 12
PADIHAMLAD
says...
6:50pm Fri 20 Jul 12
The Managers reward for failure guess what Promotion !!!!, You could not make it up,Julie Cooper pay a visit without the entourage and find out the truth!!!!
hi everyone
says...
8:15pm Fri 20 Jul 12
Michael@ClitheroeSince58
says...
8:58pm Fri 20 Jul 12
hi everyone wrote:I agree the savings are massive on-line, but why? of course market traders would give a much better deal if they did not have the huge overheads, market forces will always do that. It's called Capitalism just at this moment the odds are not stacked evenly.
cheap rents for stall holders wont make them lower there prices,cheap rent wont make people spend anymore,the internet is killing most things i myself buy 99% on line as the savings are massive compered to shopping down town
DaveBurnley
says...
3:58pm Sat 21 Jul 12
If the council really want to get Burnley market going again then encourage some proper stall holders, not cheap tat.
burnleyvoter
says...
7:23pm Sat 21 Jul 12
Then give the whole thing a paint job, including the stalls and the floor - perhaps using free labour from those doing community service (wouldn't be taking anyone's job, as no-one's doing it now).
Perhaps local college students might help with new signage for the stalls?
And above all lower the rents - slash them so that stall holders can afford to start up, and stay in business. The council would probably get in more money this way than they do now, as it would fill up and attract more footfall. Don't use that as an excuse to put the rents back up though!
Kevin, Colne
says...
9:48am Sun 22 Jul 12
These forces are, in no particular order, as follows:
successful out-of-town (or town periphery) retailing centres;
the shift of significant parts of retailing to the internet;
declining population of the town;
customer-base of the market is old and dying-off.
When one then considers the strategic capabilities of mainstream retailers compared to local market traders it’s a situation of the piranhas versus the tadpoles.
There are, of course, some traditional markets that are thriving, largely due to factors specific to the location and one of two that can be labelled ‘super’ (or regional) markets, such as Bury.
What we think a market needs in terms of retailing propositions and what the market (consumers) can and will support are two entirely different propositions.
We’re in a depression, in my view. The economic recovery is weak and any surge in economic activity globally is likely to cause the price of oil to increase markedly, thus causing economic activity to contract or stagnate once again.
A town like Burnley can ill-afford to misdirect a sum as large as £343,000. The best thing to do with this money is to invest it wisely where the prospects of security of capital and an adequate return look more assured.
bankhall
says...
9:55pm Sun 22 Jul 12
are you kidding she doesn't go anywhere unless there are expenses involved
2 for 5p
says...
12:07am Mon 23 Jul 12
golazzo says...
5:05pm Fri 20 Jul 12