Traditional retail markets and the battle to stay afloat
I think markets sustain the dynamism of many small towns and offer the opportunity to bring a rural food economy to big cities. This thoughtful little article explores their size and scale. It tells us:
According to the National Association of British Market Authorities, from 2009 to 2016 the number of market traders in the UK dropped from approximately 55,000 to 32,000.
The recession has been highlighted as a key reason for this, although there is some evidence the sector as a whole has started to turn a corner.
The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) said traditional retail markets currently have a collective annual turnover of £2.7bn, with the figure increasing by £200m year on year since 2013.