Derby Market Hall traders upbeat despite critics

Inside the Market Hall in Derby. Image by LDRS.

Stallholders at Derby’s Market Hall are upbeat about its future despite public criticism of its footfall.

Traders have spoken out in support of the Derby city centre venue, which reopened last year following a £35 million renovation.

But since its opening, there have been public criticisms of the type of stalls on offer and the number of people coming through the doors.

Financial papers recently revealed that its owners, Derby City Council, were forecasting a loss of £338,000 due to “a shortfall of trader income”.

However, some traders believe the future is bright for the Market Hall despite the financial struggles and claim recent events have attracted thousands of visitors.

But they do believe time is needed to get the formula right and have welcomed plans for the possibility of a private operator stepping in to run the venue on the Labour-led council’s behalf.

This week council leader Nadine Peatfield confirmed the authority was exploring the idea of using an operator following an internal review into its commercial operations.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the Market Hall on Tuesday morning (August 25th) to speak to stallholders.

During the morning, dozens of people were seen coming into the building and talking to the stall holders. However, it was noticeable that there were several closed and empty units.

Steve Rouse, owner of Café Prosecco on the first floor, called for time to get the new Market Hall model right but said themed events were bringing thousands of people in.

Mr Rouse, a well-known Derby businessman, claimed more than 7,000 people entered through the doors for a recent weekend event.

He said: “We’ve got some good traders here, they just need to be given a chance. The areas such as Friar Gate and Sadler Gate are nowhere near what they were ten years ago. Times are changing.

“Rolls-Royce, one of the biggest job suppliers in Derby, went under in the 1970s – they had difficulties starting out.

“It’s a learning curve for the council and they need to see how it operates.”

There have been calls for the Market Hall to go back to its former self and be a traditional market.

But Mr Rouse did not believe the idea would work given the rise of supermarkets and online shopping.

Michelle from “A Special Gift” said the gift-wrapping stall was going from strength to strength after its first few months at the Market Hall.

She said: “We are not struggling. We do brilliantly here and get high footfall. We’ve got a bit of everything and the customers love it. We’ve been here five months and we’ve got better every month.

“We had a charity event the other day and there were 2,800 people through the door. If you sell the right things you will do alright. Sell what people want to buy.

“But I do agree there are empty units here and they need filling. If they get the right people in, it has a bright future, definitely.”

However, things have not been so positive so far for married couple Maria Elba Nunziata and Juan Hernandez Garcia who run the “Arepita” Venezuelan restaurant.

The pair have launched a GoFundMe page to help support the business.

Maria called the Market Hall project “beautiful” for the city but said changes were needed to help start-up businesses like hers.

She said: “We have great reviews but we need more people to come to us. The first few months were OK but gradually it’s gone down and down. In the summer it is like a greenhouse in here but in the winter it feels too cold, that’s a problem.

“The Market Hall project is beautiful and the regeneration is needed in Derby but something needs to change here. If you keep doing the same thing again and again with no results it is madness.”

Maria and Juan urged people “not to listen to negative comments” and visit the restaurant.

Council leader Cllr Peatfield said this week: “The Market Hall has faced challenges since opening, but we are committed to its future success. We will continue to work with our traders and partners to do the right thing for this historic building and our city.”