Make your business dreams a reality at Warrington Market (From Warrington Guardian)

Make your business dreams a reality at Warrington Market

A SENIOR figure at Warrington Market believes a new initiative will allow more traders to open stalls within the town centre complex.

In conjunction with Cheshire and Warrington Business Venture Limited, the market has introduced a scheme offering a support package to new traders that includes training, mentoring, subsidised rentals and financial assistance with shop fitting.

A limited number of stalls will be set aside for new businesses enrolling on the scheme and the chairman of the Market Traders' Association, Christina Houghton, thinks the plans will be beneficial for everybody concerned.

"Any initiative is good because there are not many places where Joe Bloggs can start up a business these days," said Christina, who is opening a second shop on Egypt Street after the success of her curtain business at the market.

"The market is somewhere where you can start up and we want to encourage people to do that.

"Rents are high but the scheme will help with that and in the long run it should help the market as a whole."

More than 140 businesses currently operate within the largest indoor market in the north west and its manager, Steve Pickering, thinks the initiative will bring greater variety as well as being keen to stress it is not a sign of a decline in trade.

He said: "It's becoming more and more difficult for people to set up, so the scheme is there to give new starters proper planning. But the market is not doing badly and this is not happening because we are struggling."

For more information about the scheme, call 715175.