It’s almost time for traders and shoppers to say goodbye to the old Tommyfield Market

After almost 240 years, shoppers will soon bid farewell to the beloved Tommyfield market hall, after plans to bulldoze the current building were approved by Oldham Council last week.

Traders will move from the historic site to a newly-built venue next to Spindles Shopping Centre, due to be completed by June.

The demolition is planned for this summer, though the exact date is yet to be determined, according to a council spokesperson. 

The news has been met with a bittersweet response from stall holders, some of whom have worked at the site for decades. 

“It’s going to be strange moving,” Justin Brierley, 54, said.

Brierley’s Footwear has been a part of Tommyfield since 1967, with Justin at its helm for the last 39 years. 

The stall first stood on the outdoor market, and moved inside when the current market hall was built in the 90s – replacing a previous building that was destroyed in a fire in 1974.

Brierley said his ‘great’ experience at the market hall is what has kept him going for almost four decades.  

“Markets aren’t just about the money, it’s about the community,” he explained.

“People come here to meet their friends.

"There’s a real community base here, which is what we won’t be able to take with us. 

“I just hope we can bring that sense of community to the new site too.”

Meanwhile Mr Mahmoud, 63, has held his shop Time Tech at the market for eight years – though he describes himself as a ‘newcomer’ compared to many stall holders. 

“It’s been brilliant here,” he said of his time at the market.

“There’s nice local people, loyal customers.

"We all look out for each other.

“And it’s a good, modern building.

"Actually, it’s a better building [than the new venue] because it’s bigger.” 

The electronics salesman is cautiously optimistic about the move to the  new building.

And he believes his loyal customers will follow him to the new venue – which is only around 400 metres down the road.

“Our customers are already asking us where we’re going – and luckily it’s not far. It would be different if it was miles away,” he said.  

And Oldham local Marilyn Cuschera has refused to retire because of her commitment to Tommyfield. 

She said: “I’ve been thinking about [retiring] for a while, but I just love the market so much. It’s the buzzing [atmosphere], all the different people you meet, yet seeing the same people you work with every day.” 

Cuschera has been helped out at the market for almost a decade and recently took over an accessories stall that was due to shut down in August.

She admits the market has seen ‘a lot of ups and downs’ in recent years. 

“Especially during covid and the lockdowns when we had to cordon everything off,” she said.

“It was a really difficult time and people got used to buying online.

"People still come here, if what they’ve ordered online doesn’t arrive on time, or isn’t what they wanted. 

“But if you can get it cheaper, people would rather order online, I can understand that.” 

There won’t be space for Cuschera at the new venue, which will hold 70 stalls compared to Tommyfield’s 115.

She’s on a waiting list and hopeful they might still find a place for her.

Failing that, she said, she might finally retire. 

It’s because of the struggle with footfall over the last ten years that Oldham council decided to invest in a new market hall.

Tommyfield was once known as one of the best markets in the UK and a frequent travel destination, according to locals. 

But like many high streets and markets across the country, the number of visitors has waned, making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to stay afloat. 

The new venue on Parliament Square, funded in part through the £24.5m of the government’s Towns Fund, is attached to Oldham’s shopping centre.  

The council bought the struggling mall for £9.5m in 2020 – a move that was widely criticised at the time. 

Since that time, the council has renovated the upper floor of the mall into offices for council staff and a ‘Business Hub’ to support Oldham-based start-ups.

The number of vacant units in the shopping centre has gone down and footfall has gone up, according to the council.

The townhall hopes by joining the two shopping experiences, their clientele will mix – bringing seasoned market-goers into the mall and younger shoppers to the market. 

But the plan is not without its opponents. Lummy and Margaret, who own a news stand in the market have decided not to make the move because there are ‘too many uncertainties’.

“We don’t know what the rent is going to be. What the new space is like,” Lummy, who’s run his stand for three years, said.

“We’d only just moved in when they announced this plan. And I just thought: why?

"What’s wrong with this place? Ok, the roof needs a fix up, but that’s it.”

They’re planning to shut up shop completely.

“We’ll miss it,” Margaret said.

“We’ve got a rapport with our customers.”

And a local business manager on Curzon Street, the thoroughfare between the high street and Tommyfield Market, is worried about how the move will affect surrounding businesses.

“There’ll be no reason for people to come down here anymore,” Mohammed, 40, who has worked at Ramsdens for 13 years, said. 

“I think it’s absolutely stupid when they could spend a little bit of money to do up the market instead of dropping loads of money to move everything around the town centre.”

Most traders who are a part of the move who agreed to speak to the LDRS were hopeful.

But a number of stall holders declined to comment.

Tommyfield traders will continue to operate as usual up until the move, which is due to take place before the demolition.

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