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ROMFORD MARKET
DAYS Established as a sheep market in 1247, Romford Market is the heart of the town, and home to over 250 stalls run by around 150 regular traders on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays. Last March, Katerina Sharpe took over as project lead on the transformation of Romford Market
What are your hopes and plans for Market Place? Our long-term ambition is to develop and increase the awareness of Romford Market Square as a destination for fantastic shopping and social activities; bringing greater footfall to Romford Market and town centre. The next 12 months will include an exciting market events programme aimed at attracting a wide range of visitors and a mix of new, and different traders. H AV E R I N G
What influences and experiences do you bring to your role? I worked at Borough Market for five years project managing the physical changes. This involved working with architects and the development market team to bring in tenants and traders that were supportive of the core values, helping reorganise the market and ensuring it integrates with the surrounding retail area. I was dealing direct with traders and tenants new and existing.
What would you like to see for Romford Market? As part of the wider masterplan for Romford Town Centre and the surrounding area, the council is committed to making sure that future change for Romford, including the market, delivers positive local growth and benefits for all. I want to use my previous experience and energy to make sure Romford Market continues to appeal to visitors and traders, and celebrates the uniqueness and what makes Romford town special. We are constantly looking for ways to collaborate, often working with local theatres, colleges and enterprises, on special events that showcases our borough’s talent. I am always looking for new opportunities from new partners and new and existing traders. What of kind of retailers do you have there at the moment? As a general market, we host a wide range of every day items from fish, fruit, vegetables, through to clothing and household goods. We also have several specialist traders offering a wide range of goods and services as well as some fantastic catering experiences: Caron Webb babies and children’s fashion; Tony Luscombe, selling bedding; Dave Crosbie, who runs Fish Fish, and Steve Wickenden, the butchers. Romford Market is always looking for traders from within the borough as well as the surrounding areas. We currently have traders travelling in from Hounslow, Brighton and Kent as well as attracting casual traders from as far as Yorkshire. We want to encourage our customers to shop local, support your traders, local businesses and new talent. Our borough holds a huge amount of talent and opportunities, with hard working businesses wishing to grow. We can help them on that journey.