The brand new, ultra-modern St John’s Market in Scunthorpe will open its doors to its first customer on Friday, 22 March at 8am.
North Lincolnshire Council has invested £4m to create St John’s Market in the heart of the town centre, creating a new home for traders and bringing the vacant former BHS store back into use.
The council today reveals it has reserved eight stalls as business incubators, offering fledging and start-up businesses a unique opportunity to join 70 other established, independent retailers in their new home.
The market, while being in a modern setting, will offer visitors a celebration of retail heritage from Scunthorpe and the wider Lincolnshire region with a wide variety of stalls selling must-have, locally-sourced goods including fashion, cosmetics, jewellery, accessories, hardware and music.
Fresh produce will be available from butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers offering a unique experience for visitors to the town centre, six days a week from 8am to 5pm.
A new concept also being revealed for the market is The Food Court. Located on the first floor, with a large communal area for eating, drinking and socialising, a range of delicious foods – including hot and cold sandwiches, Indian street food, burgers, jacket potatoes, crepes, hot puddings, tasty sweets and cakes – will be on offer.
The Food Court will open six days a week with opening hours extended into the evening.
Victoria Willerton of Victoria’s Sponges is one of the new traders at St John’s Market, she said:
“We are delighted to be part of this new venture for the town. Very exciting, and a brilliant idea for local small businesses. We are very eager to start trading in the St Johns Market.”
The vision for the new market is a modern, sustainable market that is fit for purpose, offering local high quality products, with specialist themes that transform the customer offer and promote prosperity in the town centre.
Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “St John’s Market is a key investment in Scunthorpe town centre and forms part of wider regeneration plans to transform the area. It shows our commitment to improving the town centre, bringing in more investment and driving economic growth.
“The new market is a modern space which meets the needs of the traders and customers. There will be a huge range of high-quality products on offer. It is fantastic to see so many traders already signed up, both existing and new.
“With the market being in such a prominent location, it will attract more people to see what their local market has to offer. It will be a completely different shopping experience for visitors.
“The Food Court is a huge part of St John’s Market and will be a real destination for shoppers and visitors – it will become a central part of the development, creating a place and an experience where people can eat and drink but also meet friends and family.
“The Food Court will be open on evenings so visitors to the cinema, or people finishing work in town, can grab a bite to eat or have a drink. It will become a destination in itself, with people coming into the town centre to sample the variety of food and drink on offer – visitors are guaranteed a unique experience which you’d normally expect in cities across the country.”
Anyone interested in setting up a business at St John’s Market can take up one of these units and receive free business advice and support from the council.
Please contact the team at newmarket@northlincs.gov.uk or call 07773 647296 if you are interested in taking up a stall in The Food Court. Other stalls are also available on the first floor for non-food businesses.
For anyone interested in starting a business, contact the council’s Economic Development team for support on 01724 297000 or email businessinfo@northlincs.gov.uk.
Free Wi-Fi will be available in the new market and free public toilets, which will replace the existing public facilities at the bottom of the high street.
Construction work on the new market is progressing well, ready for the March opening. Stall units are being erected using British Steel from the Scunthorpe plant.
To keep up to date with news and previews of the works progressing, follow on the new St John’s Market Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
