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Hale Artisan Market founders appeal for feedback as they insist plan will not harm Altrincham Market

The team behind a proposed new artisan market in Hale insist they are not looking to jeopardise the revival of Altrincham Market – and that they will only go ahead if residents want it.

The team behind a proposed new artisan market in Hale insist they are not looking to jeopardise the revival of Altrincham Market – and that they will only go ahead if residents want it.

Hale Artisan Market (HAM) founders Mark Jackson and Daniel Killoran have unveiled a plan to bring a monthly market to the village by April, with the main Ashley Road high street a potential site.

It would be inspired by the markets of Knutsford and Wilmslow which they say create a “European” feel and are hailed by existing shopkeepers for the additional footfall that results.

Jackson, who lives in Hale but runs an IT business in Knutsford, said: “In Knutsford the shopkeepers are singing the praises of the market. When I go back to Hale on a Sunday, I sit outside Carluccio’s and it all seems a bit quiet, a bit boring, after the buzz of Knutsford. Hale needs something to liven it up.”

They are now embarking on a consultation process with local stakeholders to gauge local opinion, and have appealed for local residents and businesses to make their feelings known on the idea.

Below: Daniel Killoran (left) and Mark Jackson

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Three market management companies will next month bid for the chance to run the market, after which the licence would be applied for. Jackson said the initial contract would just be for a pilot market in April.

The plans have not however been well received by Nick Johnson, the chief executive of Market Operations and the man behind the regeneration of Altrincham Market.

“I’m very surprised to hear of proposals to establish a competing market in Hale just as all the hard work, passion, effort and energy Market Operations and the Council have put into Altrincham over the last 18 months seems to be coming to fruition,” Johnson told Altrincham Today.

“I’m not sure whether Daniel or Mark has visited Altrincham recently but we now have a fantastic market and thriving Market House just on their doorstep. It seems odd to want to undermine that.

“I’d like to think that common sense will prevail and people will feel strongly enough to support and continue to enjoy what we’ve achieved and where we’re going.

Below: Altrincham Market’s Nick Johnson

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“Our long term vision for Altrincham Market and Market House is to build a national reputation for something special, something different, something quality that we can all share in and be duly proud of. We’re on the cusp of achieving that and I think it would be churlish to try to knock that off course.”

Jackson denied though that Hale would seek to undermine the resurgence of Altrincham Market. “What Nick has produced along with the council is great, it’s what Altrincham needed and it has certainly become a destination,” he said.

“What we’re offering is a very specific one-day-a-month market in Hale village, really specifically aimed at the shopkeepers of Hale, with the aim of bringing footfall into the village.

“We would like to work with Nick. We understand the council has spent a lot and there’s been a lot of energy spent, and in no way do we want to jeopardise that. Nick’s invited to have a stall and use it to promote his market – there are probably people in Hale who have never been to Altrincham Market. He certainly won’t find us wanting to be in any way destructive.”

Jackson said it was vital for the Hale project to have both the residents and Trafford Council on board, and that he and business partner Killoran – who has run a portrait photography business in Hale for a number of years – were currently engaging with councillors, societies and other stakeholders in the village.

Below: Hale Artisan Market stalls would be offered to existing businesses first

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Stalls at the proposed market would be offered to existing shop-holders first, Jackson added. “Locals will get first shot, and what’s not offered in the village could be potentially brought in from other markets, so there would likely be some of the stall-holders from Wilmslow and Knutsford markets.”

As for location, he added that his “personal opinion” was that Ashley Road would be closed off for the monthly market “from Carluccio’s to the bowling green” in order to provide space for the stalls. “Whether Trafford Council would allow us to do that is another thing, which is why it is so important that they are on board with us,” he added.

No decision has yet been taken over whether the market day in Hale would be a Saturday or Sunday. If the pilot market was a success in April, the plan would be to run a monthly event.

Jackson said that feedback from the local community would shape what form the market took – and indeed whether the plan was shelved or not.

“It’s absolutely key,” he said, “we want to know whether it’s a good idea, where to do it and lots of other issues, so we can take that into account at the next stage of the process. It’s not just for show.”

Any businesses or residents who would like to express their opinion should email info@haleartisanmarket.org, daniel.killoran@haleartisanmarket.org or mark.jackson@haleartisanmarket.org. The project also has a website, Hale Artisan Market.

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