Wolverhampton Market

This morning we went for a trip to Wolverhampton to pic up the weekly veg.
  
The fruit and veg market is not what it used to be when I was a kid, but then again nothing is these days.

We visited the indoor market where we found The Spice Centre to stock up on all the ingredients you need for a curry.

The Spice Centre Wolverhampton Market

We then made our way outside to get some Vegetables from Bradleys, They have been trading in the market for over fifty years.

Bradleys veg stall have been trading for over 50 years on the market

However they are very concerned that when the redevelopment of the indoor market happens there will be very little left of the outdoor fruit and veg market. 

This problem is not exclusive to Wolverhampton, Markets have been disappearing all over the country , no doubt they are forced out of business when a huge supermarket springs up right next to them as happened here last year when Sainsbury's opened a new 60 million pound store.

Towns like this are suffering up and down the country and the problem is a hard one to solve. The supermarkets bring large amounts of cash into deprived areas which can be very tempting for local councils , especially when they are offering incentives like paying for new pedestrian crossings etc.

We need to find a balance to our retail economy and this is one of the biggest challenges facing government and local planning departments. 

Mary Portas had good intentions when she launched her campaign to rejuvenate the High Street a couple of years ago. 

A trip to Wolverhampton would tell you there's much more work to be done.

Shoppers at Wolverhampton outdoor Market