Rochdale Market closes in the Exchange Shopping Centre

The former location of the market in the Exchange Shopping Centre is now in eerie silence with the stalls abandoned

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An eerie silence has fallen over the former location of Rochdale Market in the Exchange Shopping Centre with the market having closed in the Exchange for good on Saturday (17 January 2015) after close to four decades.

The market relocated in 1978 to what was then the newly built shopping centre, which was opened by Gracie Fields.

The right to run the town’s market is known as the market charter. The council originally sold off the market charter around 20 years ago but took control back in October 2013 (no fee was paid by the Council) following the sale of the Exchange Shopping Centre to LaSalle Investment Management.

Having taken back the market charter, Rochdale Council had to pay an increasing rent to the owners of the Exchange and by the end of 2014 this had become unsustainable and the decision was taken to relocate the market, initially to the former Black Box site, but once the work on re-opening the River Roch is completed at the end of this year, it is intended that the market will move to a permanent home on The Butts.

Announcing the move in December (2014), Councillor Richard Farnell, Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The council is making a huge investment in the market’s future. It has been left to decline for decades by the previous market owner. If Rochdale is to have a future as a thriving market town then we have to invest in a quality market which has a wide variety of independent and specialist stalls.

“We are moving it next door to the bus and tram interchange which will help attract new shoppers to the market, and it will be eventually be located on The Butts as part of a multi-million regeneration of that area.”

The Council has provided stylish log cabins on the new site, which opens on Thursday (22 January) and will operate for six days a week initially, with a flea market taking place as usual on Tuesdays.

All current traders who were located in the Exchange have been given the opportunity to move to the new location with the Council promising to accommodate all existing traders as far as possible.

However, despite the positivity of Rochdale Council regarding the move, traders and shoppers have, overall, reacted badly.

Daniel Clayton said: “I think they should have moved it in the summer and that way it would have gone a lot smoother. I understand they were still building things and what not but to move everyone outside in winter is stupid. I occasionally used the indoor market to buy clothes but I’m not going to go and buy clothes from an outside market where they could be wet.”

Alison Lloyd said: “I think it’s a load of rubbish moving it outside. They are just moving things further and further away for people. I will use it occasionally like I used the indoor market.”

Jenny Reynolds said: “A lot of the traders didn’t want to go outside anyway and I think it’s wrong that they are being moved. What about those who don’t want to go outside? We are now losing good traders because they have been forced out. It’s not fair really.”

When asked in December (2014), what would happen to the space currently used in the Exchange for the market, Shopping Centre Manager Lorenzo O’Reilly, said: “In light of the decision by Rochdale Borough Council to move the market, we will be looking at different options to redevelop and invest in the site with the aim of attracting new retailers to Rochdale Exchange, creating new jobs and improving the shopping experience for our visitors.”

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/93591/new-rochdale-market-opens-next-week

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/93128/market-traders-react-angrily-to-market-moving