Market scores high in survey

Shoppers, market traders and shopkeepers feel Bromsgrove’s town centre street market is proving successful, according to a Council survey.

Bromsgrove District Council invited over 200 people to give their views on how they felt about the town centre market and the effect it is having on the town, with 97 choosing to respond.

86% of people asked thought the street market makes the town centre more interesting, while 84% were in favour of the market continuing.

59% of shoppers rated the market as good or excellent, with a further 29% rating it as average.

Market traders surveyed all rated the market as excellent or good, and they all also said they would recommend the market to other traders. Every trader who used to occupy the Market Hall reported trade now is better than before.

75% of shopkeepers said they thought that the market has brought increased footfall to the town centre.

Shoppers and traders both said they wanted more stalls and increased product variety, while shoppers particularly expressed a desire for more farmers’ market stalls.

Council leader Cllr Roger Hollingworth said: “The success of the High Street market is exceeding the Council’s expectations, but we believe it is very important to find out how people in the town feel about it. We are always looking to make improvements, and the results of the survey show that people think the market is bringing life to the town centre and are in favour of it continuing.”