Page 37 - MarketTimesFebruary2015
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 The open market is a traditional market comprising 11 blocks housing more than 300 stalls, with the majority of aisles covered by clear polycarbonate canopies, giving a light, airy feel as well as much needed protection from the inevitable Lancashire rain.
Andrew Heyes said the council had a rolling programme of investment. “We have invested in new heating and air conditioning and a new toilet block,” he said.
There have regular meetings with traders. “Each year we ask them for a wish list of what improvements they would like to see and we then see what we can deliver,” Andrew said.
Bury market is well located close to the bus station and Manchester Metrolink tram terminus, with the Mill Gate Shopping Centre on the other side.
A new shopping centre called The Rock opened on the other side of town in 2009 amid some concerns over its effect of the market, but Andrew says it has boosted footfall.
“Because we have so many coaches, it means there is another shopping attraction to bring in more coaches,” he said.
The market management has gone to great lengths to woo the coaches. Drivers get a £5 voucher to spend on the market. There is
plenty of free coach parking and now the drivers have their own lounge.
“We have a database of coaches that visit us and we analyse it to see where we are not getting coaches from, then we target that area,” Andrew said.
Coaches bring punters from as far afield as Portsmouth, the Midlands and Liverpool. Visitors are encouraged to report their market experience on the web’s Trip Advisor, which gives the market a high rating. And, to justify their world famous branding, people are encouraged to send photos of themselves with Bury market bags in every corner of the globe,
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