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MarketTimesDecember2016

It lays claim to being the largest village in England, but affluent Cranleigh in the Surrey Hills has a retail centre that would put many a town to shame. And the emphasis is on quality. There are top-end brand names and plenty of independent shops including delis, quaint butchers and interior design shops for people with deep pockets. Yet the Thursday market, located on the car park in Village Way just behind the High Street, isn’t exactly as you might expect. Established in the late 1970s, it has been run by a series of market operators. Bray Associates took over its running six years ago and recently won a further three-year tender from Worsley Council, which owns the land. Traders bring their own stalls, which creates a non-uniform, higgledy-piggledy feel, where you might expect smart gazebos or fancy stalls. The customers too are friendly and down-toearth — not at all hoity-toity. The fifty or so traders comment on customer loyalty and everyone agrees that quality is key in Cranleigh. Market manager Les Stevens said: “This is a country market — an old English market — in an affluent area. Customers want quality and there’s no room for poor quality traders or lines here.” As you might expect, high quality food is a feature on this market. There is a fish man, two 50 ft fruit and veg stalls, butchers selling locally sourced meat, a bread and confectionery stall and an egg man who has been on the market from the first day. And there is room for unusual businesses, such as Bob Jenkins’ Flying Custard Photography stall — named after his custardcoloured car. A former software engineer and project manager with a large company, Bob 31 Cranleigh Market in leafy Surrey is not the place to buy bargain basement goods. Yet its largely affluent customer base are loyal and regular market shoppers. Nicola Gould pays a visit Les Stevens manages Cranleigh market for private market operators Bray Associates, who recently won a tender to continue running the market for a further three years


MarketTimesDecember2016
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