Business Support on the Market

The department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has written a report addressing the contribution of local marketplaces to the local area and to local life.

Local market places are hubs of enterprise and entrepreneurship. A market stall provides a low cost and low risk start up for people passionate about their trade, who are experts in what they do and can potentially grow into a successful and often lucrative business.

‘Supporting Retail Markets’ suggests that local markets can be an important element of vibrant town centres and thriving communities and that people tend to be unhappy when their local markets are neglected because they have grown up with them and value them.

The inherent sense of community in a market place is a pre-cursor to the concept of the ‘Big Society’– bringing people and communities together, and acting as a ‘community builder’ that initiates civic pride.

Further to linking the feel of community and the part a market plays in developing the big society, CLG have also focussed on markets as centres of enterprise which support the local economy; offer access to cheap and healthy food; act as important cultural and tourist attractions and support action that benefits the environment.

Looking at the model of the British market places, research has shown their worth in society and the economy but many traditional retail markets have seen a decline in recent years. This is a cause for concern because the successful retail market can bring real benefits – economic; social and environmental – to local communities keen to continually improve and maintain high standards of those less effected in recent years the CLG has devised a series of guides for market traders including:

• Realising the benefits: With over 1,100 traditional retail markets and over 600 farmers markets operating in the UK today. Turnover is in excess of £3.5bn from 45,000 micro businesses supporting almost 100,000 jobs. This guide realises the benefits of these numbers by highlighting areas of good practice and signposting users to sources of more detailed information.
• Market management: One of the key issues that has been identified as crucial to the viability and success of the market is the way in which the market itself is managed. The second report therefore examines this issue by looking at the pros and cons of a range of different ways in which markets can be managed
• Business support: The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) has developed the first national programme of business support and best practice guidelines specifically aimed at market traders, to deliver help where it is most needed. 15 training modules and guides have been devised to support new and existing traders.

To access the individual guides and the executive summary please follow this link: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/retailmarketsexecsummary