Page 14 - Market Times April 2022
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FEATURE • HALIFAX
wines and spirits of the kind on offer in top restaurants, but at affordable prices.
“It felt like a bit of a challenge because there was a consensus that that type of business would not succeed in the market,” Nick said.
It has proved more of a challenge than he anticipated when he launched The Wine Glass three years ago.
“The business got off to a good start but then the pandemic arrived,” he said. He managed to keep going through, launching a delivery service using an electric bike service initiated by Totally Locally, the national campaign to get people shopping locally that was launched in Yorkshire some years ago.
“The first year was tough but we are still here, and we are keeping on the delivery service alongside the market business,” he added.
Di’s Pies is also a West Yorkshire success story, as Colin McInness explains.
“My wife Diane and I went on holiday to New Zealand seven or eight years ago and we were bowled over by the trend for pies and the range of different pies that were on
 Carol remembers the market at its high point when she used to work in Halifax 15 or more years ago.
“I would pop in in my lunch hour and it was really buzzing and every stall was taken,” she said.
The market was officially opened in 1896 by the future King George V and Queen Mary. In those days Halifax was the economic hub of what was then — and still is geographically — the West Riding of Yorkshire, a centre for textiles with a mill on every street corner. Big employers included Crossley Carpets, Websters Brewery and Macintoshes, the famous toffee manufacturers.
Much of that economic might has gone, but the market is ideally located at the heart of a proud Yorkshire town which retains its traditional shopping centre, so in that respect it is more important then ever.
“I would say the market has changed over the past 10 years, as have so many markets,” Carol said.
“Footfall has diminished from the very busy, bustling times and people’s expecta- tions are higher.”
That is why the market management has opted to move with the times and do everything it can to promote and enhance the market.
That includes a lot of use of social media to promote the market and the council has just launched a major marketing campaign featuring the stories of market traders to encourage people to consider starting a business in the market.
Those who have done just that in recent times include Nick Joannou, who runs The Wine Glass, and Diane and Colin McInnes who run Di’s Pies.
Nick, who has Greek Cypriot blood coursing through his veins, has a strong family connection with borough market — his parents, uncles and aunts worked on different stalls in the market over the years.
Nick had worked in hospitality for 22 years, notching up a career in branded and top end restaurants, but had started to feel “saturated” and decided to launch his own small businesses —where better than Halifax market?
He had always felt there was a niche place for an independent supplier of high quality
Nick Joannou started The Wine Glass selling a unique range of wines and spirits three years ago
    Colin McInnes runs Di’s Pies on the market. It’s a relatively new business started by his wife Diane who was inspired by the diverse range of pies on offer in New Zealand when they went on holiday there eight years ago
 











































































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