Page 20 - MarketTimesOctober2017
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Breathing new life into Grays Market
Around six additional traders have been recruited to stand Grays and Matt is hopeful that more will followsuitoncewordspreadsthatthemarketison the up.The company is also looking at putting on
GRAYS Market in
relaunched with a bright new look.
events to
footfall to the town centre.
GroupeGeraud(UK)Ltd,whichrecentlytook over the running of the Essex market, has invested in bright, new gazebos and had already persuaded new traders to stand the market.
The market was officially relaunched by the mayor, Coun Tunde Ojetola, who praised the new-look and urged local people to shop on the market which now takes place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Joe Harrison, Chief Executive of the NMTF, who attended the relaunch, said it was good to see new investment in this traditional Essex market.
It is hoped a rejuvenated market will be a catalyst for the regeneration in the town.
NEWS
Market Times • October 2017
Thurrock has been
Next year there will almost certainly be a Christmas market in the town.
boost the
market and bring more
Matt Steele, National Operations Manager for Groupe Geraud, said the investment was already paying dividends with new traders on board. He said that existing traders were “more than 100 per cent” behind efforts to boost the market.
As well as investing in new gazebos, Geraud has changed the market days and is introducing new initiatives including a foodie Friday once a month.
Matt said: “When we won the tender to run the market we realised that we needed to improve the appearance of the market and introduce new ideas to boost footfall.”
The market runs down the High Street and along Clarence Road. Grays is a down-to-earth Essex town close to Lakeside Shopping Centre, which has had an adverse effect on the town’s retail centre.
Matt said: “The market used to open on a Monday but we found there were only two or three traders and we negotiated with the council to change to Thursday so the market is now a three-day event in Grays.”
The Mayor Coun Tunde Ojetola and Matt Steele, National Operations Manager, Groupe Geraud
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