Market traders optimistic after management change

Market traders in Market Drayton have welcomed the change in management

Stall holders are optimistic about their future after learning their market will be run by an award-winning manager.

Shropshire Council has decided to take direct control of Market Drayton's indoor and street markets.

From April they will be run by Kate Gittins, who turned around the fortunes of Shrewsbury's indoor market.

She has already been to meet the traders, with one saying the market "can't go wrong" with the appointment.

Another, Sally McLean-Butler, said: "She seems really nice so hopefully she'll be able to up the market a bit more and not put the price up too much."

The trader added the market had been seeing a surge in interest recently, but she could not afford an increase in the cost of operating there.

"It's not a big enough market if they put the price up just yet," she explained.

Sally McLean-Butler said the new market manager had made a good first impression

Stall holder Sandra Boronski, said "hopefully the new managers will just keep promoting [the site] and develop it even more".

The markets are owned by Shropshire Council, but for the past 12 years have been run by management company LSD Promotions on the authority's behalf.

The council said the current reduced rates for the markets would be kept for the immediate future and that they would "continue to run in their current format".

Sandra Boronski said she hoped new management would lead to improvements

Shropshire Council said it would like to look at "fresh ideas" over the coming months, with Ms Gittins at the helm.

She recently stepped back from running Shrewsbury Market Hall, after leading it to the title of Britain's Favourite Market for the second year running.