Rush for market stalls, but food traders needed

Following a selection process by the city council, more than 90 per cent of stalls on the new £17m market on The Moor have already been taken – but a search is continuing for traders selling local and specialist foods.

Traders who successfully applied for a stall in the market, which is expected to open in November, have now received their offer letter through the post, a spokesman for Sheffield Council said.

In total, 85 stall applications have been successful.

Of these, 64 applications are from traders already operating at Castle Market on a historic site at the other end of the city centre, while 21 are businesses that will be new to the market when it opens on The Moor.

A city council spokesman said: “Enough traders applied to fill the new hall one-and-a-half times, making the selection process longer than expected.

“Some were unsuccessful in getting a place in the new hall because there were so many applications from people running a similar type of business.

“However, the key areas of local and specialist foods were under-represented and market managers are now focusing their efforts to find more traders in these areas.”

Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield Council, said the interest in the new market was “excellent”.

She said the council was “on target” for the scheduled opening in November which was selected in order to enable stallholders to make the most of the pre-Christmas boom in trade.

Coun Dore added: “Because of the level of response it was inevitable that some applicants would be disappointed.

“But to give all our traders a fighting chance of getting off to a successful start in the new market, we have to strike the right balance between offering customer choice and making sure their business isn’t stifled by too much internal competition.”

Cafes were the most over-subscribed, with 30 applications for 12 units.

Clothing and miscellaneous items were also over-represented, according to Sheffield Council.

A spokesman said: “Applications were measured in detail against a standard set of criteria which included consideration of business plans and stall design.

“Sheffield City Council will now work with traders to ensure a smooth transition from the Castle Market site ready for the opening of the new building in November.”

Andy Ward, head of markets, added yesterday: “We have some excellent businesses moving with us to The Moor, and we’re looking forward to welcoming some exciting new stalls and a fantastic range of places to eat.”

Plans have been mooted which would see the old Castle Market demolished, and the area redeveloped as a tourist attraction, after traders depart for The Moor.

Castle Market is built on the site of the now-razed Sheffield Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was once imprisoned.

As recently as last month, Sheffield Council said that its vision for the future of the city centre involved investigating the ruins, which could then potentially be developed into attractive green space.

There are also plans for a Supertram extension from Castle Square along Arundel Gate to The Moor, which is set to become home not just to the markets but to the long-delayed Sevenstone retail quarter development, which would extend back to Barker’s Pool.

Traders interested in a food stall on the market should email [email protected].