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Last trader quits beleaguered market
Tuesday 16th March 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
He has been the sole trader to set out his stall at a beleaguered town market for weeks.
But now Mohammed Sajid has decided to call it a day, with his last appearance at the lonely Brownhills pitch to be on Saturday before he moves to a car boot sale.
It will mean the market in Silver Street will be left empty unless the council can secure new traders.
Mr Sajid, aged 35, has been a trader at Brownhills for 13 years travelling from his home in Sparkhill, Birmingham, to sell computer equipment.
He has watched the market go from a thriving shopping centre with thousands of customers to a ghost town. Stallholders deserted their pitches after the former market operators pulled out when they could not agree a new lease with Walsall Council.
The council said it would revive the 40-year-old market but has struggled to win back support.
“The council has still been charging me full rent at £25 per week even though I am the only trader there,” said Mr Sajid.
“I think everyone has left because there was no incentive.“They should have offered something like the first ten weeks free to allow trade to pick back up again but they didn’t. I stayed here because my regular customers were still coming, but even they have stopped coming now. I am taking a pitch at a car boot sale in Lichfield Road about a mile away instead.”
Mr Sajid remains a trader at Walsall’s Wednesday market and Bescot market.
Former mayor of Walsall Richard Worrall, aged 65, of Burrowes Street, said: “I think that the council should now carry out an urgent, wide and thorough consultation with the real experts, the local people, High Street traders and market traders.”
Walsall’s regeneration chief Councillor Adrian Andrew today said the council was committed to developing a new market square in the town.
“I am grateful to the trader for sticking to Brownhills Market for as long as he has done,” he said. “We accept it is in the doldrums, but the town centre itself is vibrant.
“In the long term we are still committed to having a market in the town in a nice new market square.”
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This is a very sad day for Brownhills. I can remember going to Brownhills market as a child, it was exciting and thriving. I’ve since left the area and can’t believe what has happened. Why is it always the same old story …too little, too late. But then I can answer that question myself…GREEDY COUNCILS WANTING EVERYBODIES POUND OF FLESH!!! I hope this ‘local tradition’ can be quickly reinstated; there are so many reasons this should happen but it would take me all night to write them.
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It is indeed a sad day for this market and it looks like the end too.
Has i have said before markets like the towns have to reinvent itself
Even Dudley market is not has full as it was years ago but towns like Bloxwich will get smaller and smaller bacause places wolverhapton are going to eat up everything around it.
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I know most markets are experiencing a down turn, however under the last operator which I believe was called ‘ Spook Erection’ it was still a thriving Market a year ago. The council could not be bothered to talk to them properly and renew their contract, hence they walked away. The council in my mind has ruined and killed off the market
Also just look at the sorry state of Walsall Market and the number of poor shops that have now closed down where it used to be. In my mind the Council will never do the markets any justice. Hand the running back to the previous operators in the private sector who are likely to have the motivation and ability to make them work.
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Surely the demise of this market is due to lack of demand. I (for once) don’t think the council could have done any more to help it, there was a large marketing campaign and you would have had to be living in a cave to miss it, everybody knew the market was there yet footfall quickly dropped off quickly due to lack of interest. what are the council meant to do?
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