Sponsored by
Traders call for market return
The shire horses from Lancashire-based Thwaites Brewery at the Lancashire Market on Friargate at the weekend
Traders on Friargate have called for the return of a Lancashire Market which brought 22,000 flocking to the high street in Preston city centre.
Retailers on the street reported a 10% increase in visitors throughout the eight-hour event on Saturday with many reporting rises in sales.
Organisers from the Preston Business Improvement District (BID) said that Preston’s main Fishergate high street also saw 2,000 extra visitors throughout the day.
They are now working on a Christmas market which it is expected would be held over two days on the street.
Margaret Mason, who has run her florists business on the street for nearly 50 years, said the atmosphere on the street was “bubbling” during the market.
She said: “It has been a long time since I have seen the street like that, having all the people milling around and the traders there was a fabulous atmosphere.
“I just hope that they keep the market down at the bottom end of Friargate where we are for any future events, because this is the part which needs the attention.”
Karen Norris, who runs Karen Norris Hair and Beauty on the street, said that she would like to see the market become a more regular attraction on the street.
It is currently planned to run three times-a-year at Easter, summer and Christmas.
The retailer said: “I understand there is a cost to running the market but I am sure each of the traders would be willing to pay a small fee to put towards that.
“The amount of people who came onto Friargate over the course of the day was amazing and for that kind of footfall it would be worth the cost.”
BID events manager Mark Whittle said one trader on the street had seen sales rise £1,400 during the day.
He said: “I heard people saying that they did not some of the shops down on Friargate were there.
“The traders have all said they saw visitor numbers go up and for a first event that is exactly what we were after.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Preston
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: 2 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Comments
There are 1 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Frenchwoody
Friday, August 27, 2010 at 04:41 PMAh, but this will do nothing to add to Tithebarn retail profits! That's why the present indoor and outdoor markets are being squeezed. There *is* a possible alternative vision to a regenerated and pleasant city centre, as this event shows, but exclusively focusing on destructive Tithebarn plans won't allow it to flower.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.