Former market trader John Galvin speaks out about Rochdale market relocation

Rochdale's temporary market stalls

A former trader of Rochdale Market, John Galvin, has spoken out about how he feels let down by the council after he was not given a spot when the market relocated.

In September 2017, the market moved from the former ‘Black Box’ site to Lord Square and the bottom of Yorkshire Street as work to test the ground in preparation for the Riverside development began.

Prior to the move, stallholders were invited to submit applications for a spot at Lord Square. Having traded on the market on Mondays and Wednesdays for nearly 30 years, Mr Galvin, who sold household products and toiletries, says he was one of the longest-standing stallholders who ‘never missed a day’.

He said: “I feel I have been treated very badly. All I wanted was a Friday stall and I have just been discarded. No-one else on the market sells the same goods as me. I just want to keep my regular customers happy.

“I was told my attendance was 58%, but I have never missed a day. I have the receipts to prove it but they did not want to know. The only days I do not have receipts are when the market manager said I did not need them for things like bad weather and Bank Holidays.

He added: “I have been treated very shoddily and thrown on the scrap heap. This is my livelihood.”

Mr Galvin is now trading in Oldham on Mondays, but has not managed to find a replacement for his Wednesday stall.

John Searle, Director of Economy at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “As the number of traders who wanted to be part of our new temporary market exceeded the number of spaces available, we had to use criteria such as attendance and uniqueness of the stall holder’s offer to determine who would be allocated a pitch, so we can deliver the very best market offer for our residents and visitors, while also being fair to all those who applied for a stall.

“Our rent receipt records showed this former stallholder had attendance of 58 per cent, while some other traders had more than 80 per cent. We also took the view that the type of goods sold by this trader, in this case household products, are on offer in many other shops within the town centre, so this stall was not adding to the variety of our retail offer in this area.”

The new permanent market, run by specialists Quarterbridge, is set to open on The Butts and in the former Santander bank, alongside the re-opened River Roch, in Easter 2018.

In the meantime, Rochdale Market is now operating three days a week from a new temporary location at Lord Square and the bottom of Yorkshire Street. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the stalls have reduced in numbers with 19 gazebo stalls available.

After close to four decades in the Exchange Shopping Centre, Rochdale Market was forced to move, to the former 'Black Box' site in January 2015 – itself a temporary measure – where traders operated for two and a half years without basic facilities. Work on opening the river prevented the move of the market to the preferred location of The Butts.