New supervisor appointed for temporary Rochdale Market

The temporary Rochdale Market on Lord Square

A new supervisor has been appointed to the temporary Rochdale Market of Lord Square and the bottom of Yorkshire Street.

The new permanent market, run by specialists Quarterbridge, is set to open on The Butts and in the former Santander Bank building, 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.

John Searle, director of economy at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The temporary Rochdale market is still being managed by the council and we have appointed a supervisor to manage its day to day operation. This individual has replaced the previous market manager, who has now left the council. This arrangement will remain in place until the new market, managed by Quarterbridge, opens next year.”

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 locations of the former bank and The Butts.