Published March 5, 2021 at 8:40
THE new management team taking over at Rawtenstall Market has plans to make the location a central hub for shopping and a dining destination.
Managing Director of Play Market Management Dan Gregson and Operations Manager Steven Malcolm have ambitious goals to see the Rossendale Council-owned market emulating the success of Altrincham Market and Manchester’s Mackie Mayor.
Dan said: “We want to change the appearance and identity of the market and we are hoping to add a real sense of arrival by reimagining the market approach.
This includes a redeveloped brand identity, full new signage and a wayfinding system with a more coherent general aesthetic between the indoor and outdoor markets.”
Rossendale Council Leader Councillor Alyson Barnes said: “Dan and Steven demonstrate an energy and a passion for the market and they are keen to see it fulfil its potential.
“They have exciting plans to build on the fantastic work that has already been carried out by former market manager Jane Boys and her team.
The market is a very important part of Rawtenstall’s shopping experience and we wish Dan and Steven every success in their venture.”
They have signed a six-year management agreement with Rossendale Council and their first task is to get to know the existing traders and build on the market’s history and heritage, while also planning to move it forward.
Steven said: “For the market to be successful it has to modernise, but it also has to celebrate its history. We want to reflect that history in the market while also making it accessible and relevant for all age groups.”
Dan said: “My background is in commercial interior design and Steven and I see how great the market could be and how it is has been growing.
With the world shifting and everything that has happened since March last year, people have been encouraged to stay at home and shop local.
Dan and Steven are passionate about improving the environmental sustainability of the market too and want to minimise its carbon footprint by improving packaging, increasing recycling and reducing energy.
In the long term, they aim to open the market on more days of the week, bring people back into town to the market and envisage it becoming an all-encompassing hub where people shop and also taste some incredible street food.
From left, Play Market’s Operations Manager Steven Malcolm and Managing Director Dan Gregson with Economic Development Officer Jane Riley and Rossendale Council Leader Councillor Alyson Barnes.