The Greater Manchester market set to reopen more than a decade after closure
A Greater Manchester market is due to reopen after laying dormant for more than a decade. But it will go by a new name.
The market in Rochdale is finally set to open its doors again at the Exchange shopping centre on Monday (February 17). The Pioneers Market will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays with the potential of nearly 80 stalls at the site in the town centre.
The name takes its inspiration from the Rochdale Pioneers who started the co-operative movement.
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The market will carry the names of many of the original Pioneers through the stalls with boards around the centre sharing information about some of the people behind the movement that the town is known for.
It comes just over a year after the Blackburn-based Adhan Group bought the Rochdale Exchange, promising to reopen the market which closed in 2014.
The closure of the market became a political issue last year when George Galloway pledged to help reopen it after meeting with the new owners.
However, the Manchester Evening News understands that the Adhan Group already had plans to reopen the market before Mr Galloway threw his hat into the ring at the by-election last February.
Speaking to the M.E.N. shortly before the MP lost his seat in July, centre manager Martin Ballard said that the aim is to reopen the old market with up to 77 stalls and five small shops around the back in 'late summer'.
The shopping centre has now confirmed that the market will be ready to open on Monday when the first traders are set to move into the refurbished space.
In an update posted on the Rochdale Exchange website last month, the shopping centre said: "Since 2014, when the struggling market moved out of the shopping centre, it has tried to find a home in various locations across the town and ultimately found a good solid base as an outdoor market on The Butts.
"When the shopping centre was bought by the Adhan Group just over a year ago, it was made a priority to bring the market area back to life after it's laid dormant for a decade.
"A successful town centre always has a good quality market within it, as we can see with our neighbouring towns and the first retail property bought by the Adhan Group, The Mall Blackburn which has a thriving market within it.
"After several months of works such as bringing the decoration up to date, electrics and other works to make the area compliant, we are entering the final stages now of the works and hope to have them completed by the end of January."
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