TRADERS at a popular Worcester market say they are “gutted” and fear for their livelihoods as uncertainty hangs over its future.
Worcester City Council is searching for a new operator to take over its monthly specialist markets after current operator Cotswold Markets gave notice that it will stop running them at the end of the year.
The markets, held on High Street close to the Guildhall, currently include a fine food market on the first Saturday of each month and an arts and craft market on the second Saturday.
But traders who have spent years building up a customer base in the city say the uncertainty over what happens next is worrying.
Cihan Dasgin of Mercury Gifts (Image: Daniel Kelly/NQ)
Cihan Dasgin, owner of Mercury Gifts, has been trading at the market for four years and travels from Birmingham twice a month.
He said: “I hate it. Why are they closing it? We love this place.
“We want this to carry on. The thing is, if we get a new operator, who is going to come?
“It’s a very tricky problem. Everything is a bit up in the air; that’s the problem.
“At the end of the day, it is our livelihood. You can’t just flip the switch, and then it is all done; it’s not fair to everyone else.”
READ MORE: Worcester City Council seeks new monthly market operator
Mr Dasgin praised Cotswold Markets, saying the current operators had been “absolutely brilliant” and “so helpful” to traders.
However, he said the lack of certainty about next year was causing concern.
He added: “Every time something happens, we all worry about it. Every single trader will tell you the exact same thing.
“It’s hard to be up in the air. We are all looking for information.
“I don’t want to lose this spot because we have customers here. We have built up to this.
“We’ve spent three or four years building the business up, and then suddenly someone turns up and says it’s not going to happen anymore, or who is going to do it. That is the question.”
Ilona Szewczyk of Rising Fern Creations (Image: Daniel Kelly/NQ)
Ilona Szewczyk, owner of Rising Fern Creations, has traded at the market for around 18 months and said its loss would be particularly disappointing because she lives locally.
She said: “We are really gutted because I live in Worcester, so it’s very local for me.
“The customers are really shocked and surprised. I actually talked to a couple of people today, and they could not believe it.
“Because they said it is such a big part of the city.”
Worcester City Council has said it wants the specialist markets to continue and is contacting market providers across the region about taking over. Experienced operators have also been invited to approach the council.
The new operator could have some flexibility over scheduling, although the council wants at least one Saturday market to be held each month.
Adrian Gregson, chair of the council’s Place and Economic Development Committee, previously said: “The monthly specialist markets bring variety and freshness to the city centre, and we are keen to see them continue.
“We want to see markets that will complement the shops and food outlets based in the city centre, boosting Worcester’s offer as a place to visit, relax and shop.”
The council has also said it is open to new ideas and themes from a future operator.
