Rosie Winterton

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Shout about markets

 

Rosie Winterton MP visits Doncaster market to highlight National Markets week

 
Rosie visited market traders in Doncaster fish market to highlight the importance of street markets like the one here in Doncaster.

National Markets Week will kick off on Monday June 18. The Week, organised by the All Party Group on the Markets Industry, is designed to highlight the importance of markets in strengthening communities and providing healthy food at cheap prices.

The campaign is also supported by football legend Gary Lineker. Gary, who used to help his dad out on Leicester market, said: 

"Market traders are some of the most hard working men and women in the country. Many people depend on markets for their livelihoods. I am very pleased to support the markets industry and would like to see more young people entering the trade.
 
 "Some people are so used to driving to supermarkets that they do not realise what a wonderful asset they have on their doorsteps - in the heart of their community - to get their five portions of fruit and vegetables a day."

Rosie Winterton said:

“Markets make local town centres more vibrant. They strengthen communities and encourage people to eat healthy, local food, which is often cheaper than the supermarkets.

“Markets also benefit the environment by contributing to a reduction in “food miles” and unnecessary and wasteful packaging of food.

“They are great public spaces for people to meet for a chat and to catch up. National Market week is a great opportunity to shout about the importance of street markets in making local town centres come alive.”

Research carried out for the National Market Traders Federation in 2005 showed that goods brought on the nations traditional and historic markets can be up to 27 cent – or up to £10 per shop cheaper – compared to prices at Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain. In some individual cases, savings per item were found to exceed 50 per cent. Researchers compared prices of 20 identical items on markets and the local Tesco at locations in the South, Midlands and the North.

The last decade has seen a steady growth in niche markets: farmers’ market, craft markets, Christmas markets and French and German markets.