Meet the people writing re-imagined Market Hall’s next chapter

In the latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine, we take a look around the restored Derby Market Hall – and meet its staff and traders.

Following a painstaking £35.1 million transformation, the Grade II-listed Victorian building reopened to the public in May as a centre for artisan traders, creatives and entertainment.

Innovate meets some of those traders and speaks to venue manager Hana York about the exciting challenge of re-establishing Derby Market Hall as the place to trade from and to visit.

According to Hana, while the reimagined Market Hall is now complete – the real work begins now.

She told Innovate: “The renovation took a long time and really took into consideration the need to preserve this as a historic building in the heart of the city.

“Now, for us, in terms of what we’re doing operationally, we’ve got to meet new challenges.

“Markets across the country have got to change. They are not sustainable in the old format that perhaps some people reminisce about.

“Consumers don’t shop in the same way. People don’t use those spaces in the same way. Retailers don’t want to be in those spaces in the same way.

“People are shopping online more and it’s a different world out there. So, we always say that we’re more than a market. We are a market at our heart, but we realise that if we want to have sustainability, be viable for the long-term as a building, as a venue, and to help the small businesses that are here to succeed, we have to be something more.

“We have to give customers reasons to want to come here to eat, drink and buy things.”

This philosophy is reflected in the type of businesses in the Market Hall.

Among them is Darley Abbey Wines, which has taken a major presence in the building.

Its Market Porter bar offers a diverse selection of beers, hand-picked wines and premium spirits, while The Spirit Run, with its copper stills and cool vibes, combines an elegant cocktail bar and working distillery.

Nichol Malia-Barlow, from Darley Abbey Wines, told Innovate: “We’d looked at other spaces for the distillery, but they didn’t have that same feel, and we felt the space would work for a drinks offer for the night-time trade as well.

“People want places to go and have a nice cocktail, and Derby is a beautiful city with some gorgeous buildings. And it’s developing and changing.

“With the opening of the new performance venue, for instance, we see uplifts at our Market Porter bar when they have an event, which is great because people are coming back into town.

“And weekends in the Market Hall are just fantastic. The space is wonderful for everybody.

“Kids are playing games, while parents are sat having food and, maybe, a drink. I think this is wonderful for Derby.”

To read the feature in full visit https://heyzine.com/flip-book/bdf509d000.html#page/16.