Major investment keeps Barnsley Markets flourishing for the future

As the beating heart of the town centre, Barnsley’s popular and thriving market scene has been on the map since it received its Royal Charter in 1249. As I’m sure you can imagine, the markets have undergone quite some change since their beginnings, and the current residents of Barnsley are lucky enough to enjoy the £187 million transformations currently underway. As well as the huge revamp to the markets, that money will see new retail developments, restaurants, cinema, library, parking and more, along with a trendy new food hall as the centrepiece of the new development.

By positioning the markets in their original space, the flow of the town will not be affected. The development is designed to enhance and revitalise the current centre, rather than spread the amenities of the centre elsewhere. This careful planning will see the markets remain as central to Barnsley life as ever, and the clever design will make them an essential space for people of all ages.

Barnsley Market Design

The lush, modern exterior of the new market building doesn’t just look good from the outside. Inside, the market has experienced a mega facelift which perfectly harmonises the old and new. Featuring traditional black and white tiles complimented with clean wooden finishings, each stall looks appealing to any shopper. The building is open and airy, which combined with the neutral colour scheme creates a relaxing place to shop, eat or hang out. The market stalls are located on the ground floor and a brand-new food hall is due to open upstairs.

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Accessibility is high on the agenda for this stunning new market place, with spacious wide aisles and ergonomic furniture chosen to be practical and inclusive for everybody. Traders have good amounts of room to work and serve customers and every stall is presented as tidy and clean, creating a calm and enjoyable shopping environment despite the hustle and bustle of the popular markets.

Benefits of Market Shopping?

Undeniably at the very centre of market life are the traders themselves. Some of the current stalls have been in Barnsley Market for over 100 years, passed down from family generations, a testament to the continued success and popularity of the market space and way of shopping. Over a dozen new traders have set up shop in the last few months as well, creating a selection of stalls that cater to both more traditional shoppers and younger generations. The benefits of shopping in local markets over the supermarket chains are evident as we look around at the many customers browsing the stalls. Market shoppers purchase exact amounts of the food or goods they need.

Rather than buying pre-packaged meat, for example, a quick chat with one of the experienced butchers allows customers to order ham to feed four, or beef for eleven. As well as experiencing this high level of customer service and the opportunity to interact with local suppliers and purchase quality products, shopping in this fashion contributes to environmentally friendly living. Buying only what you need instead of predetermined or standardised quantities contributes to the reduction of food waste, and buying local produce cuts out transportation costs and environmental impact, as well as putting money back into the local community. Traders themselves are enhancing this environmental lifestyle by supplying local restaurants and in future the Barnsley Market food hall, with their produce.

Another benefit of market shopping, and indeed shopping in Barnsley in general, is the huge range of independent shops. A whopping 68% of Barnsley centre is made up of independent traders, meaning unique and quality finds are not hard to come by. Barnsley Market is the perfect place to find many independent traders all under one roof; whether it’s clothes, meat, veg, deli, flowers, hobbies, furniture or any other things that you find yourself in need of, the friendly faces of staff and the wide selection make shopping productive and enjoyable.

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Events at Barnsley Market

The excellent space in which the markets are now situated means a whole host of events are on the agenda in the not too distant future. They’ve got big ideas for acoustic nights in the large food hall space upstairs, seasonal events to get all the family involved and opportunities for groups and clubs to use the space to meet. Barnsley Markets are set to become a vital community place with plenty happening alongside the market scene and the food hall upstairs.

ShopAppy

Bringing Barnsley Markets well and truly into the 21st Century are the people behind the new way of shopping – ShopAppy. If introducing market shopping into your routine sounds ideal but you simply don’t have the time to do so, using the ShopAppy website could be perfect for you. ShopAppy is present in 27 locations around the UK and uses a simple click and collect method to allow customers to shop from the markets online and collect their shopping at a time convenient to them.

Not only does this make Barnsley Markets a practical place for all customers to shop, but it also encourages collaboration as customers buy produce from multiple local stalls and suppliers. As they collect their pre-packed and paid shopping from the markets, customers can enjoy a quick coffee or bite to eat from the food court which will be open late. With Barnsley council offering free weekend parking, in and around the town centre, the money saved in parking costs can now be spent enjoying the brand-new facilities the Market and food hall has to offer.

Food Hall – Watch this Space

Keep your eyes peeled for the hottest new place to eat in Barnsley – the stylish and modern food hall above the Barnsley Markets. Opening fully in late 2019, the food hall will feature an excellent selection of street food from local vendors, as well as the ever-popular and long-established market cafes, and an all-new Sky Bar – a 360o bar serving up the best cocktails, booze and light bites. The new food hall is designed to cater to the likes of all market shoppers, with space for traditional café goers working alongside the modern delights of open-plan food hall-style dining. A large outdoor area will also be on the first floor alongside the Sky Bar to create an open and atmospheric feel. This space will, no doubt, help Barnsley town centre to thrive.

Market shopping is a cheap, community-friendly and environmentally friendly way to shop. The investment into Barnsley’s famous markets will continue the long-standing tradition of having markets at the centre of town life, keeping Barnsley flourishing for the future. They are a beautiful, clean and modern space to find the best Yorkshire has to offer, so if you haven’t yet had a nosy around the new space or experienced the ease of shopping in the markets, we would recommend you do so!

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