Markets see a revival in trade

Oswestry’s markets are undergoing a revival with more traders being wooed back to the town after a slump in the number of stalls.

The outdoor markets seemed to be in terminal decline after the number of stalls slumped dramatically.

Town council bosses, however, shifted some of the stalls on a Wednesday into Bailey Street, from their traditional spots on Oswestry’s Bailey Head and adjoining Horsemarket.

And the move seems to have stopped the rot.

Figures revealed today showed increasing numbers of stalls at not only the Wednesday market but also the Saturday market and the monthly farmers’ event, held on the last Friday of each month.

Councillors have also heard that the indoor Powis Hall market, which opens Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, is also now full.

Although the number of stalls is still a fraction of the 100 that filled the Bailey Head and Horsemarket in 1990, and 60 just seven years ago, figures are now steadying at just over 30 each Wednesday.

The number of traders attending the Saturday market has risen from an average of just nine last year to more than a dozen this year.

Councillor Gareth Jones, national chairman of the National Association of British Market Authorities, said it was good news for Oswestry.

“There has been a real resurgence of the markets. It is certainly not all doom and gloom for Oswestry’s markets, they are holding their own at the moment,” he said.

The town council’s community services officer, Gail Holloway, said the stalls in Bailey Street were now well established.