Member Article

Streetwise marketeers wave goodbye to Del Boy image

Midlands-based company Rapid Retail has launched a range of prefabricated trader units aimed at giving the country’s markets a new look.

Street markets throughout the UK are being revamped as councils battle to lure shoppers back to town and city centres.

Rapid Retail, which designs, sells and rents mini-shops and kiosks to customers as diverse as football clubs, high street brands and car park operators, has now launched its ‘Rapid Market Unit’ range, which can form either part of a fixed development or can be more portable for one-day markets. The bespoke units are available in a range of sizes with smaller, polycarbonate designs also available through its sister company, UK Kiosks.

The company’s managing director, Nick Daffern, said: “It’s a recognised fact that a good market will boost sales in shops and other outlets, such as bars and restaurants, because people attracted to a market will go on to spend more money nearby. This is key to councils’ efforts to get people back into town centres.

“We have created a range of high-quality units to replace the old-style market stalls and give traders the tools they need. Markets represent a valuable part of Britain’s economy, and today’s traders need to present an attractive, professional shopping experience and get away from methods that have changed little since the Middle Ages.”

Nick’s assessment of the situation is echoed by the National Market Traders Federation. Chief Executive Joe Harrison said: “The industry is moving away from the old ‘Del Boy’ image and becoming more professional. Traders are adopting new technologies, such as e-commerce, social media and mobile card payments, which allow them to expand their businesses. “Markets also play an important role in creating new business, by providing a low-cost introduction to retail.”

Rapid Market Units can be purchased, or rented for on a long-term basis with flexible packages available, depending on the customers’ requirements.

Retail Expert Mary Portas wrote in an independent review into the future of the high street in 2011, in which she called for a ‘National Market Day’ to allow budding traders to try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business. Mary Portas adds in her latest 2014 report; “Markets are where we shop together – where we instinctively know the good stall-holders, where we see what everyone else is buying. I love that markets are a place for entrepreneurs to try things out with less risk”.

Figures show that there are more than 1,100 retail markets in the UK, providing work for some 38,000 market-traders. In London alone there are over 160 street markets.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Frances Bourne .