The Market Hall

I don't think it would be successfull.  Quite a few market halls have be closed mine included.  Stall holders were give the option to move into empty shops in the town centre, with the offer of free rent for 6 months then reduced rent for a period.  Not many survived. A couple of businesses pooled their resources and joined together to open a traditional butcher combined with pork and cheese products. That is doing really well .  Some took up the offer of a stall on the street market, which has gone from strength to strength this last couple of years and has enticed people from other towns to open stalls.  I would say this is the way forward for Wigan Market.

I think it would thrive in todays climate of poverty

moodysue2 wrote:I think it would thrive in todays climate of poverty

Sue do you think that prices in the market are cheaper than some of the supermarkets in town?

I used to enjoy visiting markets all over the north, Wigan's old or new were never in my top 20

Interesting points above. As I worked in the old market hall, I believe that today it would be successful because of the ambience within and not so much as for lower prices although this would be a good point.

The feeling within the market hall was fantastic and I realise that times have changed but I never see anything like that ambience anywhere else. The doors into the fruit and veg market were exceptional and then there was the wonderful fish market as well. The smells from all the three main markets, to me were great.....and then there was the cooked chicken shop on the corner and the fish and chip shops and small cafe's nearby.

Wow, what have we lost.

If I remember correctly there was a tripe counter, I wonder if youngsters these days would entertain tripe. Fish is another, I wonder if young ones would know what to do with a piece of wet fish. Supermarkets have taken over I'm afraid. Wigan hasn't had a decent market for years.Wiganers have been going elswhere. It would take a lot of work to get those people back.

The tripe counter was next door to where I worked at McAvoys butchers. It was owned b the Sutcliffe family if I remember right. Mrs Sutcliffe was a very attractive lady. Mr Sutcliffe (Jim) once showed me around the factory where they cleaned and boiled the tripe.


Yakkkkk... I could never eat tripe again.

Market Halls are a throwback to years gone by. I think lots more women work these days, for a variety of reasons, and wouldn’t fancy spending Saturday strolling round the market. They want to go somewhere where the butcher, the baker, the greengrocer, the pharmacy etc. are all in one place. Even this will be phased out in years to come. Click and collect is on the increase. Clothes shopping will be on line. Drones will deliver the groceries.

You are right, Broady. The times, they are a' changin'.

But I wonder if the old market hall would still be as popular today as it was back then, in spite of online shopping and drones?

Guess we will never know...

"If the Market Hall existed today ..."  

Well, the Market Hall  DOES  exist today.

What you mean is, "If the  OLD  market hall existed today".

Well,   if the  OLD  market hall  DID  exist today,  it would be just as bad as the NEW one is.  Because, the Market is only as good as the traders who operate on it.  No traders, no market.  Shit traders, shit market.
Today's customer requirements are not the same as they were then.

If every corner had a shop on it, with a shopkeeper, in a brown coat,  would they be as good as they were in them days?

YES!  

Pity there are only 13 votes cast. It would be interesting if we had around 50 or so votes.

Well done, Hiero.

Since the neww Market Hall opened in January 1987 numerous retail outlets have opened within a few miles of Wigan Town Centre, inclooding big stores like Sainsburys and Tesco, then you have Robin Retail Park and the Aldi's and Lidle's, Asda as expanded a few times since 1987 and then there are the numerous convenience stores, like Tesco Express, Spar Shops, little Asda's and stores like Home Bargains and Wilkinsons will have bashed the Market Trade in Wigan Town Centre and of course there is the Grand Arcade and there are other stores, but I think that the Market Hall could have been better managed and maybe diversified into other activities, moved with the times so to speak ...

It's crap

If the market hall existed today and, more importantly, the same number of people, or more, lived within a 5 to 10 minute walk it would definitely be successful.


A happy New Year to all.

Out door market old and new. I know which one looks busiest

If the market hall existed today and, more importantly, they closed down all the - Asda's, Tesco's, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Aldi's, Lidl's, Iceland, all the cheap-shops AND that 'wholesale meat warehouse' in Astley, - it would definitely be successful !

To be honest I think Wigan on the whole is an awful place now, poorly managed and run.

Still you get what you vote for and you certainly got what you deserved with the 'Let's knock bloody town down' brigade who line their pockets at everyone else's expense.

That's your real "DEAL".