Purley Market, which was due to be held outside the leisure centre and along the High Street tomorrow, has been cancelled.
Market daze: Purley’s efforts to establish a monthly street market has flopped
The monthly markets, an innovation from the Purley Business Improvement District, have been “postponed until further notice”.
Purley BID did not confirm the reason for the cancellation of the markets, which began earlier this year on the first Saturday of each month, but sources suggest that there has been a disappointing take-up by stall-holders.
The markets have been organised by Covent Garden-based company MSD Markets, who manage similar open air events in Tabard Street, SE1, in Forest Hill and in Yeovil.
The new Purley Market charged £35 per stall per day, with the markets running from 10am to 4pm on the first Saturday of the month.
The August market, Purley BID said, was cancelled because “so many stall-holders are away”.
Purley’s market has some competition from other, farmers’ market-style and arts and crafts markets in the local area, including established events in Crystal Palace (weekly), Wallington (twice a month) and South Norwood (monthly).
“There’s only so many artisan bakers’ stalls to go round in this part of south London,” a disappointed market-goer told Inside Croydon.
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- By having a comment section, we provide all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Details of how this works can be read by clicking here
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
- Inside Croydon: 3.3million page views in 2021. Seen by 1.6million unique visitors in that 12-month period
