St John’s Market in Liverpool prepares for £2m makeover

St John’s Market in Liverpool is closing its doors this Friday (June 10) as it gets ready to undergo a £2m makeover.

The project to improve the shopping complex, coming as part of a wider £5m programme to overhaul various locations around the city, will include a modernised Elliot Street entrance and a more open approach along with improved signage.

Once open, the site will boast a new seating area, central atrium, cafés, lifts, public toilets and Wi-Fi access.

Additionally, the number of stalls available will also increase from 120 to 140, while new space will be created for pop-up traders such as sellers of antiques or vintage clothing.

The project is due for completion in time for the busy Christmas trading period, alongside a £3m scheme to deliver new paving and landscaping on nearby Elliot Street, Parker Street and Houghton Street.

The original plan was to keep St John’s Market open during the improvement works. However, following consultations with the site’s traders, the plan was deemed unfeasible and withdrawn due to the level of disruption and potential health and safety issues.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, said: “St John’s Market has being looking tired and dated for a very long time and it is not a bright or particularly welcoming place to shop.

“It still has the feel of the 1970s and is very much in need of modernisation to meet the needs and expectations of today’s shoppers.”

He continued: “It will see the market transformed into a much more up-to-date, brighter and more airy environment in keeping with current shopping trends.

“We also want to make it more attractive from the outside. Currently people can walk past its entrance in Elliot Street without realising they are outside a market.”

Speaking further, Cllr Kennedy said he believes the new entrance and improved signage will increase footfall levels.

Ged James, of the St John’s Market Traders Association, commented: “We have all faced difficult times in the last few years with a downturn in business.

“We hope it will attract shoppers of all ages, and that it will bring back the feel of the old market in modern surroundings.”

St John’s Market chaplain, Rev. Jean Flood, explained that the market’s traders have long been negotiating for “a more up-to-date environment” that would improve the customer experience and attract new business.

She added: “Traders have served the people of Liverpool for many years, some even for generations, and they deserve thanks for the contribution they’ve made to the city.

“We all look forward to celebrating a new market and welcoming back our great customers, old and new.”

In a press statement, the centre manager at St Johns Shopping Centre, Rob Bradley, said: “St Johns Shopping Centre, which is managed independently of St Johns Market, recently underwent a multi-million pound redevelopment.

“As such, we’d like to reassure our customers that we will remain well and truly open for business.”

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