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Leicester Market, once a thriving retail hub and recognised as the largest covered market in Europe, attracted vendors from across the country looking to make a profit. Today, the question remains: Are traders still finding success in this once iconic market?
With the relocation two years ago, and ongoing renovations, we spent a morning with the traders to see if times truly have changed, as some claim. The market – which has a 700-year history – has suffered its fair share of difficulties: first a pandemic, then the cost of living skyrocketed, and now they’re facing a controversial facelift.
To top it all off, markets across the country are declining. With these challenges on the backdrop of an increasing trend in online shopping, it has made in person market trading tough.
So, in a world where you can get discounts and loyalty cards with the click of an app, what’s it actually like to sell at Leicester Market these days? For trader Robin, it’s clear that “times change.” The 70-year-old has been selling every variety of greeting cards and a range of posters here, every day, for the past 25 years now.
Reflecting on recent trade, Robin said: “I don’t think it's good business,” standing inside his stall. “I do believe this was all sort of plan to get rid of a lot of the market sellers.”
Traders have been at a temporary site adjacent to the original market site in Green Dragon Square: “It’s meant to be temporary, two years – I don't call that temporary,” Robin dryly laughs. “We’ve been here a year and a half over.”
Speaking about the last few years, Robin said: “Covid-19 was bad for us, then online shopping. I mean times change, even at the old market it was never as busy as it was 20 years ago.”
Times certainly do change, and this Monday morning it’s quiet in the market. The two of us look across the quiet temporary marketplace and Robin remarks, “this is about as busy as it’ll get today.”
We shift focus, and I ask him what he thinks should happen next: “The council should listen to market people more – instead of listening to the mayor and all the little people who hang around him.
“Basically, he’s never been a market person, he's got no idea. Peter Soulsby can’t come around the market without a bodyguard, he gets booed.”
On a similar note, I spent the next little while making my way through the market asking for traders opinions. Many very politely declined, but one name kept cropping up; “You’ll want to speak to Vicki,” said one. “Vicki’ll be here soon, speak to her,” said another.
So much of my morning had been spent looking for Vicki, who I beelined to and realised quickly why the name had been recommended so many times. Having been a trader for 41 years, Vicki went on to tell me that this ‘food-only’ market won’t be the “Market as we know– the goal posts have been moved so many times that we just don’t know where they are to be fair.”
“Well, we’ve moved under false pretences, really, we got told we were moving here to build a new market, but then it got changed.” Vicki refers to the council's revised plan to replace the old market with a joint events space and 48-stall market exclusively for food vendors.
Vicki tells me that she's doubtful that the initial plans submitted by the council were their intended final goal, she thinks that the council were after the site that the old market sat on from the get-go. “I think it was false pretence,” she explains, “I think they've been after that site for so long and moved us here and thought, ‘that's the way in’.”
Then we get to talk about the new site. “They’ve tried many things on Dragon Square here,” said Vicki. “It's just not worked, it's too far out of the way, it's too far for people to walk, and we’re just not known here really.”
## ‘People want us back where they know’
Market street trader, Rachel. Photograph: Joseph Herbert
Later on in the week I returned to Green Dragon Square. It was a Friday afternoon, and it was much busier. So busy, in fact, that it was difficult to find someone willing to chat to me. Eventually, I did, and it was here that I spoke with Rachel.
Rachel had a different story to tell, she speaks to me between serving customers. Business was “a lot better” 20 years ago: “People's shopping habits change, parking in town’s not that easy, it's a lot easier for people to go out of town, like Fosse Park where you get free parking.”
It was here that an overhearing customer chimed in, blaming the Covid pandemic: “it's all online now” he said. After the customer finished buying his fruit and veg, Rachel explains: “A lot of people did online shopping, but then we were diverse as well.”
“We did a lot of home deliveries [during Covid. We were allowed, we were classed as essential workers – that’s been a bonus for us because my husband's still been able to keep the online deliveries going.”
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In this way, Rachel and her husband now have another source of income, and can get to a customer base they normally wouldn’t be able to reach. “I do the store, and he goes off and does the deliveries, so it's actually worked out better for us,” she said.
There's still value in a physical store, though, and Rachel's market stall still brings in more money than the deliveries – this is thanks to the market's regulars. “I’ve got lots of regulars. I've built the business up over the past 26 years.”
“On Friday and Saturday mornings, it's the same sort of faces that I'm serving, even in the snow, they still made it out to come see me, it's a dedicated bunch. A lot of the older people don't buy so much, but they just like to come and say hi and have a catchup, it's part of their little routine that they do.”
It's not all older people, though: “We get a lot of students,” said Rachel. “They’re building down the end of town where there’s a lot of student accommodation, and they’re always good customers to have.”
Despite the relative success of her stall in Green Dragon Square, Rachel is looking forward to getting back onto the original site. “Apparently they're digging the foundations, and they’ve found some bones or something. I think that might delay things, but we are hoping to get back there one day.”
## ‘This is a bit of a dead end of town ’
While business in physical markets has certainly slowed recently, there’s still demand for these vital community retail spaces. But don’t just take my word for it – I ask Rachel one final question: “Is Leicester market on the way out?” She takes a moment to think and finally says: “No, I'm still here, I'm doing okay, I can't speak for anyone else, but we’re still here.”
When I raised some of the concerns I’d heard from traders to the council, Leicester city mayor Peter Soulsby said: “In the latest of a number of meetings, I met with some of the market traders on 2 February to give them an update on the works taking place.
“I explained that the archaeologists from the University of Leicester have made a number of significant finds while investigating the site, and have therefore asked for more time to continue with their dig. We have agreed to this, but they are due to be off site in early March.
“Their investigations should not have a major impact on the finishing date for the works, and I have been assured that traders will still be able to return to the market square within the year as planned.
“I understand they have some frustrations about their current location, but have reassured them that they will be returning to a much improved market area. I am also hopeful that we will be able to attract funding to improve the historic buildings surrounding the market, in the same way we have restored the façade of the Grand Hotel and adjacent buildings – making the area an important and attractive visitor destination in its own right.”
The city mayor added that he would be meeting with the traders again in March, to give them a further update.
A council spokesperson said: “We remain committed to providing tailored support to help traders during the period of the redevelopment. This includes providing an average 30 per cent discount on rents since they have been based in Green Dragon Square. We will also continue to support individual traders if they want to look for alternative premises, either in council owned locations or via property agents.”
While high streets across the country – and markets along with them – there’s projected growth in the UK's food industry. After all, people need to eat. Couple this with campaigns to ‘Back British Farmers,’ and the market may be the ideal place to get local, fresh produce.
The council say that the ‘regeneration’ of Leicester market is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Traders and shoppers alike may well need to wait and see if the council's works will create a successful food-centric market. Meanwhile, traders adapting to a more online-dominated world are finding some success.
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