Traders react to new Oldham market delay

It’s a sunny weekday morning in Oldham. There’s a steady trickle of shoppers plodding along the high street.

But inside the Tommyfield Market on Albion Street the atmosphere is hushed.

There are still some shoppers here – a gentleman drinking coffee over a newspaper at Mum’s Kitchen, pensioners eyeing up the best cut for a family roast at one of the independent butchers, workers in high-vis popping in for a quick chippy lunch.

But Oldham’s famous market is certainly a lot quieter than it’s been over the summer months. And it may not just be because it’s ‘back to school’ season.

Two months ago, Oldham Council announced that the Tommyfield traders were due to move into their much-anticipated new venue next to the Spindles shopping centre this September.

But earlier this week, Oldham Council confirmed the market is facing delays in fitting out the new units at the new Parliament Square building. Now it seems traders won’t be moving until 2026 – and a new opening date is yet to be announced.

Traders we spoke to had a lot of understanding about the reasons for the delay – no one wants to move into an unfinished unit, or leave their fellow traders behind. But the whiplash in announcements has caused ‘confusion’ among their loyal customers – and may have contributed to the recent loss of footfall.

“It’s definitely confused people,” said Anton Jaskiewisz, 64, a Tommyfield trader who owns The Battery Shop at the far end of the hall. “There’s nought we can do about it though, is there?

“It’s not helping because there’s more people leaving [the Tommyfield market] – it’s very empty here. We have no customers.”

Anton said he understood why the delay had happened. Motioning to the densely packed walls of hardware products behind him, he said: “For me, all I need is some shelving – £10k and we’re up and ready. But some of the traders need more specialist stuff. It takes time to install things like fridges.

“[The council] could have thought about that a bit earlier though, couldn’t they?”

Elsewhere in the market hall, Elaine Rothwell, 66, who manages the Best Wishes card shop, said she’d been ‘annoyed’ about the news.

“We were all set to put our Christmas stuff up in the new place. They didn’t give us any notice about anything,” said the 66-year-old, who runs the stall along with partner Ian and daughter Nicky.

“They’ve also taken their time announcing it to the public. People still don’t know we’re not moving. It’s having to tell customers all the time that we’re not going to move yet – and they’re just as shocked as we are.

“I’m still excited to move because I think it will be good for Oldham. It’s just that it’s going on and on. We still don’t even know when the opening date will be.”

And similar feelings were echoed by Peter Hack, 86, (pictured below), who was manning his eponymous Tommyfield shop for his daughter-in-law, who now runs it.

“It’s a shame about the delay but these things happen. I think for me, the biggest problem is that there is this idea out there that the market is moving in September. They need to tell everyone that we’re still here,” he said.

“It’s pushing people out and less people are coming. Where are the updates?”

Hack ran several successful clothing businesses around Oldham town centre including the Tommyfield stall and Trilby on the high-street before retiring 24 years ago. Now acting as support for his younger family members, who’ve taken over the business, he says he’s still optimistic about the new venue.

“In terms of the move, we’re ready for it. Sometimes it feels like they do things without our input – like we wanted a special counter, but then they built a different counter and it wasn’t how we liked. But I think it will be good in the end.”

There were also those who were simply ‘not bothered’ by the delay.

Mr Mahmood, 64, (pictured below) who runs Time Tech, a watch and clock shop, said: “I can only speak for myself, but it’s not really affected us. I’m not really that bothered about it.

“Our customers still come to us in here, so there’s no negativity. And hopefully it will be the same when we move over.

“I’m a technical person. I know that when you build a new building, it always takes longer – things change, materials become more expensive, suddenly there are new rules and regulations. And we still need to do our fitting.

“I’m just not really that worried about it – I’m still excited to move.”

There are also those who are no longer present to react to the extended lease and news of delay. In the last two years, the M.E.N. has spoken to a number of stall-holders who have made the decision to cease trading when the move takes place.

Many, such as Margaret and Lummy, who ran Hyde’s News Agents, have now vacated the premises, leaving a trail of empty units filled with Halloween and council displays.

Oldham council did not wish to comment on the specific way communications were handled. A council press release claimed Tommyfield Traders had ‘requested to move into the new market … in the new year’.

But the traders the LDRS spoke to claimed they had simply been informed that the lease, due to expire in October, had been extended and the move pushed back.

Councillor Arooj Shah, the townhall leader, said: “Work to prepare the new market is moving at pace, with traders busy fitting out their stalls and adding their own personal specifications.

“The move will bring together the wide variety of stalls currently at Tommyfield Market into a modern space at the heart of the town centre. A fresh, fit-for-purpose market that keeps Oldham’s proud market tradition at its heart.

“We’ve been working with our traders on this for months, and we’ve listened to what they have to say and are supporting their decision to move in the new year. After listening to traders it was clear that keeping the market open during the Christmas period was vital, both for traders and for residents who rely on them.”

Ray Aslam, Chair of the Tommyfield Market Traders’ Association, added: “Christmas is the busiest time of year for most of us and moving before then isn’t ideal, especially as some traders have challenging fit-out requirements that take longer to complete. We wanted to make sure no one was left behind so waiting until the new year means we can all move together and make a real fresh start.”