Council and traders criticised in Market Hall review
Council and traders criticised in Market Hall review
Georgia Roberts - Derby political reporterFri, October 2, 2026 at 5:08 AM UTC
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Derby Market Hall was reopened in May 2025 following a £35m refurbishment but has struggled for consistent footfall
A review has criticised the reopening of Derby's Market Hall after it found the venue had no "clear commercial objectives" and no proper marketing plan.
A newly published internal report found "significant gaps" in planning before the venue reopened in May 2025, as well as pricing issues and flawed decisions on opening hours.
Documents released in the summer showed the Market Hall is forecast to make a loss of £338,000 next year amid ongoing struggles with footfall.
Leaders at the authority will discuss the possibility of handing over the running of the venue to a private operator at a meeting next week.
Traders also come in for criticism in the review for consistently blaming a lack of footfall for their troubles rather than conducting "their own marketing".
A former trader recently told the BBC that business had quickly gone "downhill" in the venue after its early opening weeks.
Derby City Council said opening hours will again be adjusted "to better match customer demand" in response to the review.
It added a "more targeted recruitment campaign" is now under way in an effort to better tailor traders to Derby's demographic, and explore the idea of a more "traditional" offer during the week to attract more local residents.
In the short term, a number of recommendations will be acted upon, including clearer monitoring of key areas such as trader occupancy and footfall, strengthening the governance of the venue, clearer decisions on opening hours and rebuilding trust with traders.
A "focused" marketing plan will also be developed, with suggestions for targets including attracting 250,000 annual visitors and operationally breaking even.
The review said traders should stop blaming footfall and focus on their marketing
The internal review was commissioned by the council to assess the Market Hall's performance in its first year of operation against the business case written before it reopened.
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The review praises the Market Hall's potential as a "distinctive destination" and "high-quality environment", but adds the operating model and day-to-day management "must be addressed" to reach its potential.
It also notes concerns about prices, stating that the offer "was not sufficiently aligned" to the key target demographic of the local area.
Opening times are also said to lack clarity and direction, which means the venue is not always open when residents are likely to visit on weekdays.
The review added problems at the Market Hall had been worsened by vacant units, an unbalanced mix of traders, shortcomings in billing and income management, and lease arrangements that were not suited to small businesses.
"As a result, the venue is trading below income expectations, overspending on events, and the in-house team has been required to respond reactively rather than manage proactively," it said.
"As a result, the operation is currently more reliant on subsidy than originally envisaged".
Councillor Steve Hassall said the review was an opportunity to "recover some of the potential that has been squandered"
The leader of the Derby Conservatives Steve Hassall said the future of the operation was now "mission-critical" following the findings of the review.
"The Labour administration now has an opportunity to address those weaknesses and make sure that the considerable public investment already made delivers what Derby was promised," he said.
Nadine Peatfield, leader of the Labour-led council, said: "In its first year, the Market Hall has established itself as a destination, supporting independent traders and bringing new life and activity to this historic building.
"Our focus now is firmly on the future and we will continue to work with our traders and partners to ensure the Market Hall delivers on its full potential - for traders, customers and the wider city centre."
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Derby City Council
Source: “AOL Money”
