Opposition To New Friday Market Proposals

This morning a debate was held between town centre traders, market traders and indoor market traders regarding the prospect of a new Friday Market in town.

This issue was previously discussed at the last Town Centre Forum meeting, where a vote took place against the idea but was in favour of expanding the Monday Market.

Dave Jones spoke as a Monday Market trader, giving the views of his group pointing out that they felt they “cant extend the monday market due to restrictions and number of traders”.

An enthusiastic exchange took place between two Mr Jones’s with Alex from The Bank Bar on High Street taking the opposing view against the idea of a new market on Friday saying that “Friday is a busy day already, extending the Monday market would bring movement around the town.”

Alex Jones went on to point out that “the other chartered day is Thursday”, which prompted further debate when Dave Jones said “that was tried and failed”. Alex ended that train of debate by observing “why try friday then if its failed the previous day?”.

The meeting was told that Mold has a better mix of traders, and that is the model that could be brought to Wrexham on a Friday. Data had been collected via a survey over 19 shops (from BHS to Orchards) in Wrexham town centre asking “How do you think the Monday market affects your business?” and “How do you think a Friday market would affect your business?”

Fourteen apparently replied that they thought a Friday market would increase trade, with fourteen also saying that the Monday market increases their trade. When Alex Jones queried where the shops surveyed were located he was told ‘by the Monday market’ , Alex replied ‘there you are then’.

Indoor market traders voiced their concern with Rob Clarke of Mad4Movies in the Butchers Market calling such a move as ‘direct competition to us’ pointing out ‘ there has been no consultation to traders in the indoor markets’.

He went on to say that he believed that a new market would “cost money and resources, it will be setup with people coming in taking the cream of the crop just before christmas and then it will collapse”.

The Peoples Market was reporting it was ‘struggling on a footfall basis, and to compare with Mold is wrong as that is a compact town’.

It was noted that the traders had been told that the town centre forum has ‘no decision making powers’ , and showing a united front the market traders requested a meeting with the council before any decision is made.

It was revealed that the charter of the markets does include other non-used streets, so there is intention to explore which streets and why they cannot be used to expand the Monday market.