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Traders and shoppers 'delighted' as market reopens

Lara King
BBC News
BBC A customer buys produce at a butcher's counter. A range of sausages, mince and other meat is visible inside a glass cabinet. A woman stands behind the counter wearing a white top and blue butcher's apron - she is weighing meat on a scale.BBC
Top Town Market will remain in its temporary home until a new venue is ready in 2027

Traders at a long-running market say the first day of business in their temporary new space was "better than they could have wished for".

Top Town Market in Grimsby had been without a home after it closed in February as part of a £50m regeneration scheme.

As a temporary measure, the market has been relocated to a unit inside Freshney Place, which was previously home to a One Beyond store.

Kathy Loudon, who owns K&P Collectables, said: "It's been manic and so busy. People say the town is dead, well they should see this. The sales have been fantastic."

Kathy Loudon smiles into the camera. She has silver eye shadow, pink lipstick and permed blonde hair. She is standing in front of two display shelves covered in ornate pottery.
Kathy Loudon, who owns a gift and antiques stall, says she has been blown away by the response

She added: "The old market was run down, we weren't getting footfall and it felt like we were abandoned. Now, it's a fresh start and people are coming back.

"I couldn't wish for more."

North East Lincolnshire Council previously said the temporary venue would be a space for traders to operate in until the western end of the centre was redeveloped.

The renovation of Freshney Place includes a new food hall and market in the former BHS store, alongside a five-screen cinema.

Shoppers who visited the centre earlier were also happy about the return of the market.

One woman told the BBC: "It's great to see the community getting together and coming out. The market is, and has to be, the heart of the town."

Jean and Joan, two women with short hair, smile into the camera as they stand in front of a fruit and veg stall. Jean, on the left of the image, is wearing tinted glasses, a black and grey top and a black gilet. Joan, on the right of the image, also has glasses and is wearing a bright pink coat.
Jean and Joan were among the shoppers who visited the temporary market earlier

Other visitors praised the new venue for being "bright and airy", while some revealed how they had missed the market and traders.

But not everyone was quite so enthusiastic.

Jean, who was shopping with a friend, Joan, said: The atmosphere isn't the same as the old one. It's great to get another one back though."

Top Town Market had been located on Bull Ring Lane since 1976. It is due to move to a permanent venue in spring 2027, the council said.

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