Major trade boost for flagging market thanks to 40,000 revamp

A 40,000 revamp of a market is under way in a bid to boost flagging trade.

Eastleigh Borough Council has brought in a specialist consultant to spearhead the move in a bid to rejuvenate the town market.

Major changes including themed weekends, along with attracting local stallholders and producers to the market, are now being tabled in a bid to to try to rejuvenate footfall and trade.

Guy Riddoch, area co-ordinator for Eastleigh, told council committee members that three different market providers in the last four years had not been able to help stallholders compete with the growth of discount stores and Internet shopping.

He said the council had taken the radical action of bringing in a specialist advice team to coincide with the completion of current improvement works in the market area.

The market on the pedestrianised area of Leigh Road is held twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays but the changes will only affect the Saturday market.

The idea is to develop a range of locally grown stallholders drawn from existing retailers, community organisations and entrepreneurs, rather than rely on traditional market stallholders who travel around different markets in the area.

Entertainment is also proposed under the plans put forward by consultants Retail Revival, which has recently re-launched markets in London areas.

Eastleigh market

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Major trade boost for flagging market thanks to 40,000 revamp