John Ayres, market and business services manager at Bury Market, rallied delegates at the third National Food Market Conference by advocating change within retail and street markets throughout the UK.
Situated in the northern town’s centre, Bury Market has won the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2008’s new accolade of Best Food Market.
“We need to develop partnerships and rely on the principle of co-operation,” Ayres said at the ‘Growing a Market’ conference, in Blackpool on Tuesday. “We cannot lead unless we know where we are going. We need to do better in a shrinking marketplace and perhaps [Bury] is a good starting place.”
He explained that eight years ago, Bury Council’s aims were to transform its market into a tourist destination and create a premier town in the North West. At that point, the market started welcoming coach parties to the site and, since then, the number of coaches has grown to 1,100 a year.
“It is okay to be out of your comfort zone,” advised Ayres. “We all have to learn from history to be in a strong position to predict the future…
“Can a good market be grown? Yes, if the conditions are right and the quality is there. You have to consider two things. First, the budget has to be realistic and, second, tolls and fees have to be at a level that market traders can bear.
“There is also good publicity out there for the taking and the trick is to establish relationships with the media. A good thing going for us is location, location and location, as six million people drive through Bury.
“But there are a lot of good markets out there - for us the difference is the council and traders working to common goals. You have to offer the customer real choice. And competition - while it is sometimes hailed as a dirty word - should be encouraged.
“This, coupled with improved standards and the ability to say ‘yes’ more often. We all have to learn from each other and gather knowledge from customers,” he added.
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