Page 43 - Market Times February 2022
P. 43

FEATURE • TEWKESBURY 43
Tewkesbury market has been transformed thanks to new gazebos and a customer-friendly layout introduced during the pandemic. Nicola Gould visits a market which has gone from tired stalls and a dwindling number of traders to a full market
  They say an ill wind blows no good, but in the case of Tewkesbury Market, the pandemic, combined with some significant investment by the private operator, has delivered some notable benefits.
Not so long ago the Gloucestershire market was struggling to attract new customers, with a rag-tag of traders’ stalls creating a less than impressive picture in Spring Gardens car park, the market’s traditional home just off the High Street.
The market has been run by a succession of private operators since it was started several decades ago. Spook Erection preceded Grenchurch, which was acquired by the current operator, Cotswold Markets Ltd, based in Moreton-in-Marsh.
Run by David Joynes, Cotswold Markets operates other markets including Cirencester and Moreton.
Traders say that four or five years ago what had once been a thriving market was
on the back foot, with the number of traders much reduced and the aesthetics of
Kevin Waters, universally known by his nickname, Jagger, manages Tewkesbury market for the private operator, Cotswold Markets Ltd
the market anything but welcoming. Cotswold’s market manager Kevin
Walters, known universally as Jagger, although none of the traders know why (answer at the end of this feature), says the state of the market at that time was a concern.
“Although I have only managed this market for the past two years, I know it had dwindled and the look wasn’t good. The traders used to put up their own stalls and there was no uniformity,” he said.
Tewkesbury Council expressed some concern and there was a suggestion the market should be moved to an adjacent car park.
Although many traders want their market to be in the retail heart of things, in the case of Tewkesbury there is a consensus that the current location is pretty good, with plenty of car parking around the market and easy access to the High Street.
David Joynes could see action was
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