Traders and customers 'saddened' by market closure

Janet Neville-Grimshaw said she had been using the market for years

The imminent closure of a town’s market has left people angry and saddened, according to those who use it.

Stafford’s indoor market is set to close on Saturday after stallholders were told in September that they had three weeks to vacate the building.

Business owners have since said the news came as a shock to them, with some having already bought stock in preparation for the Christmas period.

Stafford Borough Council said the building needed to be empty by mid-October to meet financial deadlines, and that it would look into providing alternative premises.

The closure is part of the authority’s plans to transform the town centre, which includes the demolition of the Guildhall Shopping Centre in which the market is based, and the derelict Co-op building.

Kevin Smith, who runs a guitar store at the market, said he had been based there for 13 years and had seen footfall decline over that time.

He told BBC Midlands Today that the council should have done more to attract people back into the market.

Kevin Smith has run a guitar shop at the market for 13 years

Of its closure, he said: “I feel very sad because it’s taken me 13 years to build this up and they’ve destroyed it in three weeks.

“It’s a market town without a market. What they should be doing is [what they’re doing] in Shrewsbury, Chester and places like this – encouraging small businesses.”

He described the three-week notice traders were given as “ridiculous” and said it had created “absolute panic”, referring to one trader who had already bought Christmas cards to sell from the stall.

“I’ve got 35 guitars. What do I do with them? You can’t get rid of your stock in three weeks,” he added.

Customer Janet Neville-Grimshaw said she used to shop at the market every Saturday and felt “tearful” about the closure.

“I am so sad that all this history and all these memories will sadly just disappear overnight… many people are very angry,” she said.

Marie Davies said the closure was a "big loss" for Stafford

Marie Davies, another customer, said not everyone wanted to shop online and many still used the market, particularly older people.

She added: “I think it’ll be a big loss… a lot of places have closed down in the town and a lot of people depended on coming in here for things. I think it’s terrible.”

A spokesperson for Stafford Borough Council said it had looked at a temporary relocation but had not been able to find a site which would meet the needs of all the traders.

“We have been looking at any redevelopment of the Co-op to have a market offer as part of the scheme,” they added.

Any stallholders who wished to continue trading could contact the council’s business growth team for support, the council spokesperson said.