FADNE CEO Chris Jewitt on the importance of thinking local
Regeneration, purpose, authenticity, grassroots growth, entrepreneurial acceleration; an ode to provenance, people and place – all an antidote to the sometimes well-meaning but reckless forms of gentrification we often see across the UK.
Thinking, acting and doing local – it’s a powerful, transformational thing. Local economies thrive when people support independent businesses, keeping money within communities rather than it leaking out to faceless corporates across the UK and beyond.
Markets connect people to the source of their food, fostering relationships with those who produce, catch, grow or craft what they sell. While affordability remains a challenge, the tired assumption that working-class communities don’t want or can’t afford quality, local food is both lazy and insulting. Purchasing power is often perceived as a luxury for the middle classes but in reality, affordability can be supported by fairer systems – regulated fees and market entry overheads, shared spaces and local incentives.
The role of community food markets
Markets are more than shopping spaces – they are cultural and economic anchors, a living, breathing mix of voices, histories and trades, people, place and purpose. They also connect communities, provide access to fresh produce, and act as launchpads for small businesses. Sadly, too many markets have lost their soul. The cynical commercialisation of space, event-based happenings over sustainable trading, and a creeping premiumisation prices out both traders and shoppers.
Markets should be affordable, inclusive and accessible to all – not transformed into playgrounds for the few.
The cost of entry and high product prices
The hidden costs of market entry are a silent killer for small businesses. Licences, pitch fees, vendor commissions, rates and blatant profiteering by opportunistic operators make it difficult for traders to survive, let alone grow. The public doesn’t see this, instead they see a price tag and assume small businesses are overcharging, not realising that much of the cost isn’t going into the trader’s pocket.
Controlling the cost of market entry would allow businesses to keep their prices fair while ensuring markets remain diverse, vibrant and community focused.
Regeneration vs gentrification
Regeneration should mean renewal with purpose – creating spaces that serve and uplift existing communities. Too often we see gentrification disguised as progress – a reckless rewriting of a place where long-time residents and businesses are priced out, erased or replaced.
A pertinent reminder to the region’s gentrifiers and lovers of shiny, new things – these communities deserve nice things too. Markets must be spaces of economic opportunity, not exclusive, boutique destinations that only cater to a select few.
Markets as incubators and accelerators for high street regeneration
Take a look at today’s high street – a jarring jumble of juxtaposed, conflicting assets subconsciously at war with itself.
Markets can be more than trading spaces; they are incubators – hatcheries of entrepreneurship that should be actively integrated into high street regeneration strategies. To do this effectively, we need:
- A level playing field – affordable pitch fees, fair leasing strategies and dynamic support for small traders
- Infrastructure investment – WiFi, toilets, weatherproofing and access to shared facilities
- A move away from transactional policy making – local authorities must see markets as strategic assets, not just sources of rent or rates
- Wraparound business support – from pop-ups to permanent spaces, de-risking the leap from market trader to bricks-and-mortar entrepreneur
- Dynamic leasing and business rates strategies instead of rigid, one-size-fits-all fees that disproportionately burden small businesses
Without these, we risk losing something far more valuable than just another independent business; we lose the very fabric of our cities – the diversity, the chaos and the community.
The future of markets – more than just a trend
Markets are not a passing trend, they are the black box of history and beating heart of the high street. They represent a time before the homogenisation of our town centres – before we sold out to discount culture and glass-fronted anonymity.
As we face the risk of buy local fatigue, we must fight to build both awareness and momentum. We must fight against the identikit and hollow hipsterisation of markets, and the faux-authenticity and reckless showboating that do nothing for long-term sustainability.
Markets are more than just pop-up opportunities, they are community spaces, incubators, economic drivers and cultural mainstays. If we get this right, they will be a cornerstone of the high street’s future.
The need for a regional event strategy to manage duplication and market oversaturation
One of the biggest threats to the sustainability of markets is the lack of a co-ordinated strategy.
Right now, too many markets and events are being launched without consideration for long-term impact – leading to duplication, competition for traders, and oversaturation.
Instead of fostering economic resilience, we see too many short-term, pop-up events diluting trader revenue and pulling footfall away from established markets. We also see copy-paste markets popping up with no clear differentiation, leading to redundancy rather than regeneration. Local authorities and event organisers are also failing to communicate, creating clashes between markets instead of a cohesive, well-planned calendar.
This isn’t just about event management – it’s about economic reality, disposable income and clear maths. Instead of a thriving ecosystem of complementary markets, we risk spreading customers, traders and resources too thin.
We’ve seen this first-hand through our Local Heroes initiatives, where we’ve taken a measured, strategic approach to market growth.
We will admit, we may be part of the problem. We’ve expanded our portfolio, added more dates and introduced new locations, and we accept that. The difference is we’ve done so consciously, always asking if a market is unique, fits our ethos, supports traders sustainably, contributes to a thriving market culture, operates in the right location, and helps incubate local, new and innovative entrepreneurs.
Had we simply chased expansion for the sake of it, we could have ended up with a diluted operation. Instead, we focused on curation, sustainability and ensuring that every market we run has a clear purpose, audience and long-term future.
Here’s the double-edged sword – the more markets that open, the more quality traders are required to fill them. Yet without proper entrepreneurial support for food-specific vendors, there simply aren’t enough traders to meet the demand.
The food sector requires:
- Tailored business support to help traders navigate licensing, food hygiene, branding and supply chain logistics
- Affordable incubation spaces, giving start-ups a chance to develop without the cost of full-time rent
- Training and mentorship, ensuring that new food businesses can scale sustainably rather than burning out after a few markets
Right now, we are asking more of traders than the current ecosystem can realistically support and this is resulting in a limited network of quality traders unable to keep up. Markets are struggling to fill their stalls with genuinely interesting, produce-led, locally grown, top-quality vendors.
Markets need to be produce-led, locally driven and always give preference to North East businesses. A market can only sustain so many sweat treats and traybakes, we need produce, food and things that sustain both the local economy and the people that make it thrive.
If we don’t invest in the next generation of food entrepreneurs, we risk reaching a breaking point where there simply aren’t enough strong traders to sustain the volume of markets being created.
This is why a regional event strategy must go hand in hand with a proper food and drink strategy. Without both, we’re not building a market movement, we’re just building a house of cards.
Instead of an un-curated, oversaturated landscape where no one truly thrives, we need a focused, well-planned market ecosystem where traders, communities and local economies genuinely benefit. If we don’t plan for sustainability now, we’ll be left with nothing but a sea of forgettable, underwhelming markets rather than the thriving, purposeful community spaces we know they can be.
Food and Drink North East • Email: info@fadne.org • Web: www.fadne.org
