Ignore Market Hall negativity, say local businesses

Independent shop owners on one of Derby's most historic high streets have voiced their hopes for a brighter future for footfall thanks to a new market.

The Market Hall opened its doors over the bank holiday weekend having been closed for several years for a refurbishment, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.

Sadler Gate, which is nearby, is one of the city's more "forgotten" areas according to some of those stationed there.

However, many owners have told the BBC that there has been an increase in trade over the past week because of the Market Hall attracting more visitors.

It is hoped that the ripple effect will continue benefit the area, rather than an "us vs them" mentality one trader described as being the feeling towards the Derbion shopping centre amongst the city's independent traders.

Karl Shaw, who runs the coffee and casual menswear shop Mr Shaw's House, says there have been "new faces" in the area since the opening and describes the Market Hall opening as a "pivotal point" for Sadler Gate shops.

"It's a gateway back into our street," he said. "There's lots of negative people on social media, but it's a positive thing and people have got to embrace it and go with the flow."

Karl is hoping to take up an offer made by the council to host a pop-up stall in the Market Hall, where he plans to promote Sadler Gate.

Melanie Lowe runs The Fig nearby and like Karl, has been there for the past two years.

She says the more independent focus the Market Hall has is what will help drive customers towards Sadler Gate's similar offering.

"On Saturday [there was] definitely a lot more tourists, people who haven't been into my shop before. And this week there's been a few people around, it's been steady.

"[The Market Hall] has got to be a good thing. It's a big empty space in the centre of Derby for a long time."

Kay Sampson, the owner of Tubo Gift Shop, said they had hosted a pop-up stall in the Market Hall during the opening weekend to promote their shop in Sadler Gate.

"We've had a really nice steady trickle of people... it's been like what Sadler Gate used to be like.

"It's not just about [the Market Hall], it's about the Cathedral Quarter as a whole and getting people down here.

"That's got to last, and everybody has to play their part in making that work.

"There's too much negativity I've read on social media at the moment. '£35m for what', they're saying. It's a beautiful building."

However, Daniel Bennett is less optimistic.

He has already made the decision to move his shop 1NE. derby out of Sadler Gate and into the Derbion shopping centre blaming the low footfall.

Mr Bennett, who has been based in Sadler Gate for five years, will be closing the shop over the weekend and reopening in Derbion in the summer.

He won a competition to host a pop-up stall in the shopping centre in 2023 and said the difference in trade was "incredible".

"In the shopping centre you're guaranteed footfall whereas for us in Sadler Gate you don't really see people, it's a ghost town, its more of a cut through," he said.

Mr Nebbett says the demographic for their high end fashion trainers and clothing is a younger market who are more likely to go to the shopping centre than Sadler Gate - or the new Market Hall.

"[In the Market Hall] for footfall we'd be in same position, we'd have to drag people in there," he said, describing the offering as more suited to "the older crowd".

"I don't think there's anything in there that's going to keep people going back."

The leader of Derby City Council, Nadine Peatfield, told the BBC there would be regular opportunities for local businesses like those on Sadler Gate to have a presence in the Market Hall - especially with units still yet to be filled.

"We have been inundated with requests for information for people who want to invest or book temporary or permanent stalls," she said.

"We've identified what the gaps are and we want to make sure we fill [all the units].

"People have seen the success and they want to be a part of it."

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