Market Drayton's 'revitalised' market traders hope to buck national trends as turnaround efforts paying off

Fresh figures produced last month showed the number of tourists visiting Market Drayton rose to 180,327 in May 2025, up from the same period in the previous year.

Market bosses say the town's visitor boost is down in large part to the resurgence of the town's market, which has seen trader numbers and footfall rising rapidly over the past 18 months.

Statistics for May 2025 showed more than 20 per cent of visitors spent more than an hour in the town centre, while market research statistics gathered on income groups from visitors to the town indicated growing interest from more affluent visitors.

And while conditions on the High Street remain tough for traders of all sizes, Market Drayton is starting to buck the trend, according to markets manager Kate Gittins.

She said efforts to boost the number of stalls have seen the town's outdoor market on Cheshire Street, which has been trading since the 13th century, grow from just eight to almost 30 in the space of 12 months.

Now, plans to promote the market as a "coach-friendly" destination to towns and cities further afield could see the return of coach parties which were once regular visitors to the town.

"We're very hopeful of getting coach-friendly accreditation - Oswestry and Shrewsbury have it and hopefully Market Drayton will have it too. That will hopefully entice coaches to come here and spend the morning and the extra visitors that will bring in, it's fantastic and will make a difference," she said.

"Markets have moved away from the traditional market to a much more contemporary mix of more unique retail and obviously food - it is very much about the food, whatever anybody says.

"The street market is a totally different beast. It was down to about eight traders and what we've done over the last 12 months is turn it into a street market which regularly holds between 25 and 27 stalls.

"We recognise that we now need to push on. We've got the model right but we now need to improve, it's about increasing stall numbers and footfall so we're about to do a big marketing push on that."

Long-time trader Shaun Palmer, who has been working in Market Drayton for more than 40 years as owner of family business Cheshire Socks, said it was good to see the market busy - but was worried that all markets were facing issues with a lack of new traders coming in.

Some national surveys suggest that the amount of market traders in the UK has fallen by more than 50 per cent since 2009 due to increasingly difficult conditions for retailers.

"It's far more profitable and far easier to work for someone else than it is to start up on your own, but I don't like it - it stops individuality and it's boring. But we're in a coporate world with Tesco, Morrisons and all of them who have taken over really," he said.

"I do a lot of agriculture and flower shows but I've been at this market for about 44 years. My dad started it off and we've carried it on. I do really well, but town centres up and down the country have gone downhill, taking markets and banks away from towns and supermarkets moving into towns which is the usual thing.

"There's a lot of people here today which is really good and it's great to see it busier than usual."

One of the newer traders on the Cheshire Street market is Vicky Thomas from handmade jewellery company Lovehearts and Daisies, who has been trading on the market for around three months, although her business has been working at other markets in the county for several years.

"I'm relatively new but I love it. It's well organised, and it's a really friendly event," she said.

"I've heard that Market Drayton was very good a few years back but maybe dropped off a little bit, and I think they're very keen to get it all back up and running again and as popular as it was, which I think it certainly could be."

Across the street, gemstone trader John Bellchambers has been on the stall during the summer trading season for around 20 years. He said customer habits have changed while he's been working in Market Drayton - but added that he has a loyal customer base in the town who keep coming back.

"It's a good market and I've always enjoyed coming down here. I look forward to it, it feels like a day out for me," said.

"It's not like the old days where you were flat out from first thing in the morning right until the end, you've got a more narrow selling window. People have just changed their way of life, they stay in bed longer now!

"But I've got customers I've known for over 20 years from here and the surrounding areas. It's a loyal customer base."