Ashfield shoppers and traders tell Your Chad what makes Sutton's indoor market so special
Ashfield residents, shoppers and students were invited to give their thoughts on Sutton’s Idlewells Indoor Market to help shape the market's future.
Your Chad caught up with Neil Ehrhart, Markets Retail Manager at Ashfield District Council, who says it's the fantastic mix of traders and the variety of goods on offer that make the market so special.
Neil said: “We’re trying to promote the market to a younger audience, there’s been a couple of new campuses set up in Sutton, and we’ve also started looking at the branding of Idlewells Market itself and seeing if it needs a refresh and get some feedback from customers about the proposals that we’ve got.
“The market itself is very successful, it is 85 per cent occupied, we’re getting some really good feedback from customers and a lot of them are saving ‘don’t change anything’ which is really nice.
“We’ve got good variety, lots of choice, we’re very friendly and very welcoming.
“I think a lot of it is down to the fantastic range of traders that we’ve got in the market, that have been trading there for a quite a long time and a lot of them are offering things people buy every week, the butchers, the bakers, fruit and veg stall, but we’ve also got a sitting area in the centre of the market where people can come along and meet their family and friends and have a coffee and a cake.
“We’ve got people coming, not just from Sutton and Mansfield, but from all across the East Midlands and further afield.
“I met someone who has come from Durham, as they have a sister in Huthwaite, and she likes coming here as there isn’t anything like this in Durham.”
Wade Littleton, Ashfield Cheese, said: “It’s the hub of Sutton. It’s fresh, it’s independent and people care about what they sell to people.”
One customer said: “I think it is picking up gradually each day. They’re doing a lot for children and charities. It’s a pleasure to come down here and enjoy a drink.”
Another said: “It’s very economical and very easy, it’s just right.”
Jake, Colledges Butchers, said: “It’s a good variety of stalls, everyone comes in here, from 18 to 90-year-olds.
“I think the younger generation are caring a little bit more about what they’re eating and they’re not going out as much so they’re eating a little bit healthier, which is obviously good for us.”