CHRISTMAS MARKET

Stallholders at Derby's Christmas market say they have been disappointed by the small number of shoppers since they opened at the beginning of December. No advertising, a poor location and a lack of festive decorations have been blamed.

Traders paid hundreds of pounds in rent for a three-week pitch in Cornmarket but some say they have lost money because of the low footfall. Since opening on December 1, around five traders have packed up their stalls because of a lack of business.

Mark Chambers, who sells hats and bags at MC Fashion, travelled from Birmingham for the market after he saw it being advertised on the internet. But he said he was losing £100 a day because so few customers were visiting his stall.

The market was organised by Derby LIVE, with event co-ordinator Market Square Group, to try to lure shoppers back into the city instead of doing their festive shopping online. All the stalls have been set up inside Victorian chalet-style sheds.

Randi Szakaly runs a Christmas stall selling decorations and wreaths. She said she was disappointed that it had not been busy, but added that there was a wide range of products on sale for shoppers to browse at.

Another trader, Danielle West, of cupcake company Cakeorium, said she thought it would be more festive and Emma Heywood, who runs organic skincare stall Eve of St Agnes, said the Christmas market was not "atmospheric".

She said, "The more stallholders there are, then the more atmosphere you get. It's not been great and it's not met my expectations because there's nothing to draw people this way but when people do look at my stuff they think it's nice. I've seen Christmas markets in Oxford, Birmingham and in Nottingham and they always seem festive and busy. Do people want a Christmas market in Derby?"

A spokeswoman for Derby LIVE said, "The Christmas Fayre is experiencing more difficulties, not least because of the challenging financial climate retail outlets are currently operating within. We will do everything we can, with Market Square Group, to address any concerns that the traders may have at this time." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Dec/11)