More businesses for Rotherham Markets

The Indoor Markets complex has seen a further three more new businesses open and traders are looking forward to a good new year.

The trend was noticed just before Christmas. Mark Brown, already running a successful butcher's stall there, and wife Sarah saw there was an unmet need.  The result was Sarah's Deli, selling popular delicacies

The new stall opened in time for Christmas, selling an extensive range of cooked meats, Italian hams and award-winning local Wentworth pies and reported to be doing well filling the gap in the current food offer within the Markets.

Markets Manager Robin Lambert said: "There's been a positive take-up for stalls within Rotherham Markets already, and it's not surprising when stallholders such as Mark are doing so well that after operating for only just over a year, his wife Sarah joins him at a second stall. Added to that a weekly footfall count of 80,000 makes the Markets an ideal place to do business."

Now two more stalls join the deli in the indoor markets hall. The Market's first nail bar, Angel Nails, has been opened by Azra Qureshi, who already operates similar outfits in Bradford, Keighley and Huddersfield.

AJC Framing, the owners of an established picture framing business operating on several markets across the region, has also taken a unit indoors.

Finally, new business start-up Tracy Headley has opened Dexter's pet shop in the Guardian Centre. After selling pets and pet-care products in a garden centre in Wakefield, she decided to take the plunge and open her own business.

"I'm very confident that we have the right mix of pets from well respected breeders and a bright and airy shop for this to be a success," she said.

But why Rotherham? "I chose Rotherham over neighbouring town centres because I liked the town centre and the Market's staff were so friendly and welcoming."

Robin continued: "I welcome all the new traders and I'm really pleased that we are attracting not only established regional businesses looking to expand but also entrepreneurs looking to start-up. I'm sure our market shoppers will feel the same."