Chester Market Traders
A recent article in the local Chester Standard newspaper is more than likely to be the start of much debate and discussion in the forthcoming weeks. The article concerned was about Chester market traders and the huge rent hikes they face.
While you read this post you may be mindful of another couple of blog posts I have published earlier. Namely, the article on the abolition of free after 3pm car parking – you can see the article HERE. And my article on visiting Chester – see HERE. In the latter article we touch upon the problems faced by local businesses, particularly market traders, as a result of the moving of the bus interchange. Some stallholders have said that their takings are down by 80 per cent as a result of the bus interchange changes.
The article in the Chester Standard mentions that Chester Market traders are being asked to pay almost three times their current rent commitments. It is not the intention of this article to discuss the merits of these increases. The post, at this stage, will just report the facts as they appear. As this website develops, it is my intention to include a section for “What They Say”, or “Have Your Say”. The idea being that a cross section of Chester people can air their views. I think one of the first articles will be by one or more of the Chester Market traders. And hopefully, to balance the views, some feedback from the Council
So, what about the rent increases? And how are they going to affect the Chester Market traders?
Chester Market Traders
Chester Market Traders
One stallholder, a local butcher who has been trading out of Chester Market for 29 years, is to see his rent almost triple. His existing rent is set an annual rate of £7,635. It is to rise to £19,791. Another stallholder is to see his rent increase to £30,800, a rise of about £12,000. On the face of it these rises seem pretty staggering. The local Council have been accused by stallholders of damaging people’s livelihoods.
The Council on the other hand are saying that the price increases are in line with other markets in the region. I’m not sure what would be defined as “in the region”, but it may be worth establishing exactly what is “the region”. Do they mean other markets in Chester West and Chester, for instance Ellesmere Port? When considering Ellesmere Port, it should be noted that they do have car parking facilities.
Or, does the region also include other nearby towns? Such as Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington, and Wrexham to name a few.
In addition, and playing devil’s advocate, is a straightforward price comparison the only yardstick to use? For instance, if stallholders in St John’s Precinct in Liverpool, and other stallholders in other towns, pay £x per square foot, should Chester Market traders pay the same? However, have stallholders in these other towns also had to contend with other factors that have damaged trade? Like mentioned earlier, the damaging effect moving the bus interchange has had on footfall customers. Should these other variables be factored in?
New Market
The way it currently stands is that Chester Market traders have until 15th December to sign a five-year contract. The new market is not expected to be completed until 2019. Stallholders do have the option to back out of this agreement up to six months before the new market opens in 2019.
It is planned that the £300m Northgate retail and leisure complex is to be completed in stages. The market is due for completion more than a year before the overall completion of the scheme. As one of the stallholders pointed out, they would be operating next to a building site. It is unclear as to how potential customers will gain access to the new market while the rest of the construction is completed. Will there be parking before the scheme is completed? The answer to that is, I’m not sure. Has the incomplete state of the development been factored in when arriving at the rents for the first year?
As stated in the first paragraph of this post, this debate will rumble on for some time no doubt. This article has not offered an opinion but it has opened the door for further debate and raised some questions. The opinions will come from others when I get to speak to some of the players involved.
Have Your Say
I have already mentioned that this website will soon include a section for people to have their say. It is the ultimate intention of this website to not only be a website about Chester. But also to be a website for the people of Chester. The way it is looking at the moment, it may well be that one of the Chester Market traders will be the first, or at least one of the first, to have their say.
And of course, following on from that, it would be ideal to have an opinion from someone at the Council as well. Hopefully, things will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction as soon as possible. It would be a crying shame if such a well established trader with 29 years of service would be to disappear.
Watch this space for further updates on this subject and keep an eye out for our new “Have Your Say” section.
****Update**** The “Have Your Say” section is now up and running. See HERE.
