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is the first thing passengers see as they alight from their buses.
The upstairs food court opens from Mondays to Saturdays and the food businesses stay open later.
“The market has been so busy in its first weeks that on the opening weekend we had to think about closing the doors and waiting to let shoppers in, although in the end that was not necessary,” Jenny said.
“We have had to get contractors in because the food businesses were so busy we needed more power.”
She added that the market team had also had to use the tannoy to warn people that the general market was closing at five and suggesting they go upstairs.
“It’s a great situation to be asking people to leave a market at closing time,” said Jenny, who now has a waiting list for the nearly 80 stalls.
She said a number of traders had dithered
about coming into the new market, understand- ably concerned about whether or not it would work.
A few chose to retire. “But in the last couple of weeks before we opened when people had seen images of the new market the number of enquiries went mad,” she said.
New traders including the hot food businesses say they are already certain they have made the right decision.
Jamila Khatun, who helps run Ali’s Food Hut with husband Ali and their daughter Nazia Begum, an accountant and the business brains behind the enterprise, said they were doing well with their eat-in or take-out Indian food business.
“Our daughter works in accounting and it was her idea and her business. Ali is a chef and she persuaded us to join her in the business after she saw pictures of what it was going to look like,” Jamila said.
Long-established businesses are also
FEATURE • SCUNTHORPE delighted and relieved that the new market is
attracting such good footfall.
At 82, Margaret Wild in a market veteran.
She began selling plants and flowers on the old market for the Dawson family who also sell fruit and veg. That was 53 years ago.
“When I started on the market it was absolutely heaving,” she said. “The old market had got really awful — it was dark, cold and miserable. This is wonderful in comparison — it’s bright, warm and clean, but I still miss the old days when we used to shout out to sell the last few things at the end of the day.”
Julia Murray, who runs the pet food and products business started by her grandfather, Jim Bale, in 1947, said: “We used to be in the food hall area of the market which was better and busier than the general market area, but they have done a really good job on this market and our regular customers are now finding us here.”
Some traders including the three butchers
   Jenny Couch is North Lincolnshire Council’s place development and marketing lead and has overseen the market project for the council
At 82, Margaret Wild is a market veteran, having started work for Dawson’s plants and flowers business in the old market 53 years ago
Julia Murray runs the long-established pet food and products business which is now doing well in the new market. It was started by her grandfather, Jim Bale in 1947
  Ali and Jamila Khatun have opened Ali’s Food Hut specialising in Indian cuisine to eat in the food court or take away










































































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