Page 38 - MarketTimesOctober2017
P. 38

It’s a rivalry dating back to 1222, when the men of Newbury — the “new town” in Berkshire — were so riled by the granting of a Thursday market charter to nearby Thatcham by Henry II, they turned up in force and overturned the traders’ tables, scattering their wares.
Fruit and veg man Neil Ward, who has been on the market for the past 15 years ago and now manages it for the town council, recalls that Brian Newman, who used to work for the market operator Geraud, was the driving force behind its relaunch.
he said. “It’s a traditional, small town and the people here are loyal to the market. We do well here,” he added.
The king, who hadn’t helped the situation by stipulating that Newbury men should support the rival market, stepped up to the plate and ordered them not to interfere with the fledgling gaff.
“The first thing the council did was reduce the rent from £2.50 a foot to 85p,” said Neil.
The competition between Thatcham, apparently the oldest town in Britain, and Newbury has continued over the years, with Thatcham seemingly the loser.
It has an ideal location on Broadway, the wide area of hard-standing in the centre of town. The dozen or so traders who set up their own stalls spill on to Broadway Common, an adjacent grassed area where there is room for more traders.
Georgina Curtis-Read, who was taken on by the town council to oversee the market operation, is putting her heart and soul into her new role.
Newbury retained its charter market, whilst Thatcham’s market dwindled and died.
It’s a good little market, according to Neil and his fellow traders.
She said: “Thatcham is a small town which has grown rapidly in terms of population over the past decade, but this growth hasn’t necessarily been matched by improved facilities.”
Twenty-five years ago the market was revived, this time on a Friday, and the old rivalry has returned.
“Thatcham is an egg and chips sort of place,”
Brian was running markets for Geraud over a wide area, but he lived in Thatcham and it irked him that his home town had lost its charter market.
The traders’ lot improved 18 months ago when the town council took over the running of the market from a private operator who had been looking after it for a number of years.
“By all accounts the market was a success from the start,” said Neil.
“That was a great boost for the traders and we all feel well supported by the town council. There is a lot more marketing and promotion and that has to be a good thing,” he added.
Georgina Curtis-Read from the town council has responsibility for the market
Neil Ward, who has a large fruit and veg stall on the market, is market manager
The remains of the 13th century market cross
John Hauxwell is a taxi driver who is trying out market trading on Thatcham market after starting to sell bargain clothes online
Although the town has some good local employers including distribution centres for M & S and Harrods, and a Formula 1 engine builder, it tends to be seen as the poor relation to Newbury, which is more affluent.
rent, and we will invest as and when we can,” she said.
be traders, offering them a free start on the market and running a “meet the trader” feature in her Facebook blog.
Georgina said the town council comprised a small team that was working hard to improve and enhance the town. It saw the market as a key asset that should be supported and promoted, so it took over its running in February last year.
Georgina organised improved signage and set up a Facebook page to promote the market. She now does a Friday market blog keeping people abreast of improvements and promotions and introducing readers to new traders and items for sale.
“We are lucky in Thatcham in that it is a traditional town with older people who are loyal to the market, but my challenge is to get new, younger people shopping on the market,” Georgina said.
After reducing the rent, Georgina turned her attention to marketing and promotion.
“Every market day I spend an hour on the market chatting to traders and finding out about any issues or problems,” she said.
She has succeeded in getting regular coverage for the market in the local newspaper and is embarking on Facebook advertising.
“We are a small town council and don’t have a lot of resources to invest, but the market is profitable even with the reduced
“I absolutely love the market and it has become a passion as well as a job,” she added.
The market got stuck in with the Love Your Local Market campaign and Georgina is constantly plugging the traders and their goods.
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Part of her role is to nurture new market businesses, and that means chatting to would-


































































































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