Bid to promote market

Banners are to be put up around Dereham on market days in a bit to promote the town's two markets. Town bosses had been asked by market stallholders to help boost the town's markets, held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Banners are to be put up around Dereham on market days in a bit to promote the town's two markets.

Town bosses had been asked by market stallholders to help boost the town's markets, held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It is the first such measure to be launched by the council, which hopes to do more to promote the markets, said town clerk Tony Needham.

Once produced, they will be put up on the recreation ground railings and on the noticeboard in the precinct on market

days.

“We want to try and get in people's minds that today is market day and try and increase footfall, especially on a Friday,” said Mr Needham.

“We looked at the stall and there had been a decrease on the Friday market from about 30 to about 15 in 2006, then to about

22-24 currently.”

Stallholders were still concerned about the Friday market being out of the Market Place while Norfolk County Council made up its mind

about the bus interchange, he added.

Mr Needham said a report on markets from a few years ago said people used to use markets for bargains and quality goods they couldn't get in shops and the atmosphere. Now people were less likely to look for bargains

on markets, so quality goods

and atmosphere had to be promoted.