A market that has been having trouble since the Covid lockdowns might be saved with the aid of the reinstatement of a free bus route.
Before the epidemic, the street market in Braintree, Essex, made a profit. However, it suffered a loss of £16,000 in the previous year due to the influenza.
Jackie Pell, a councillor for the Braintree area, made the following statement: “On Wednesdays, trading volume is really low. Today, I took another look, and it appears that there are even fewer stalls than before.”
The municipality, as well as the Braintree Village shopping center, would be connected by the free route.
Also, efforts are being made to entice new and younger vendors to set up shop in the market.
The merchants have terminated their operations.
The market, which typically takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, was suspended for the duration of the Covid event.
Several of the traders have either stopped doing business or moved on after it was restarted in July of 2021.
The community development scrutiny committee of the Braintree District Council heard how difficult business circumstances have become as a result of an increase in the number of people purchasing online and an increase in the amount of competition from supermarkets.
In 2019, a free bus link between the town center and Braintree Village was terminated; however, it is possible that this service might be resumed in an effort to attract fresh foot traffic to both locations.
David Mann, a Labour councillor, was quoted as saying: “It was very crucial to have this free transportation service that went in both directions from the town center.
“It had a lot of customers, and ever since it disappeared, the community has been discussing whether or not it should be brought back.
“Using public transportation to reach the Braintree retail village has become a very challenging endeavor in recent years.”
The National Association of British Market Authorities discovered that the number of stall-holders across the country has decreased from 46,000 in 2009 to 17,000 in 2022, and that only 8% of traders are under the age of 40. This discovery was made after the organization found that the average age of traders was over 40.
The alterations that have been suggested will now be submitted for approval to the whole council. After the results of the municipal elections in May, there will be no decision made.