Page 8 - MarketTimesDecember2017
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New location for National Youth Market
Community value is what makes markets matter
  NEWS
Market Times • December 2017
THE NMTF’s annual National Youth Market will be moving next year from the big city feel of Manchester to the traditional market town atmosphere of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.
 The town that is the birthplace of William Shakespeare will play host to the sixth event in this major initiative to bring young, talented entrepreneurs brimful of ideas to the marketplace.
The National Youth Market will be staged on August 31 and September 1 at the town’s Waterside, running alongside the picturesque and bustling River Avon and next to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
The event will be heavily supported by LSD Promotions, the company operating the town’s markets, and has the blessing of both town and district councils.
 2017 winner Rose Dyson
NMTF Chief Executive Joe Harrison said that while the move was welcomed it would be sad to be leaving Manchester where the National Youth Market had been so successful over the years.
 “We owe the markets department at Manchester a deep debt of gratitude for the way they have looked after us so well,” he said.
“But things move on and we feel that staging the event at Stratford, a more central location, will give more youngsters the chance to take part.”
Anyone aged between 16 and 30 with a bright idea will be eligible to apply for the event.
International project urges us to ‘Go Trade’
  THE NMTF is taking part in an EU- funded project that aims to transform traditional retail markets along the south and east coast of England and north coast of France.
revitalise markets. The Go Trade brand will ensure markets involved are known for their high quality and excellent customer experience.
THE NMTF is participating in a much more. This crucial research research project that aims to will enable us to champion the
The goal of the project is to support market traders to enhance the quality of their offer and establish the markets as destination under a single brand — Go Trade.
Monique Rubin, President of Le Fédération is a strong friend and supporter of the NMTF. Alongside our sponsors, Vitabri, she attended this year’s AGM and Conference.
The community value of markets is something that our members are aware of and immensely proud of. But it is often taken to be tacit knowledge and is dismissed by many operators and developers as unmeasurable.
The research has received a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council and is led by Dr Sara Gonzalez from the School of Geography at the University of Leeds.
Led by Basildon Council, partners include local authorities along the coast in the south and east of England. In France, local authorities spread across La Manche are involved.
Go Trade is funded by Interreg, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, which helps regions of Europe share knowledge and transfer experience.
To attract and argue for investment, public operators are often put under pressure to demonstrate the economic value of the markets they run. This reduces markets to occupancy rates, rent levels and footfall.
In addition, Professor Sophie Watson from the Open University and experts from the New Economics Foundation are involved.
The NMTF will be developing business support resources for traders and supporting with the distribution of best practice to all our members across the UK.
The project started in July 2017 and ends in 2021. More information about the project can be found on our website at www.nmtf.co.uk/go- trade.
We recognise these are important
The project starts in December 2017 and ends in 2020. More information about the research can be found on our website at www.nmtf.co.uk/community- value.
Crucial to the success of the project is working across borders to
statistics for
developers. But by solely thinking about and measuring the success or failure of markets in this way means much about what makes markets matter to local communities is ignored.
The market traders’ federation of France — Le Fédération Nationale des Marchés de France — is also taking part in the project.
understand, demonstrate and enhance the community value of traditional retail markets in the UK.
social and cultural value of markets with greater clout and credibility.
operators and
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The NMTF recognises that traditional retail markets are so





























































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