A handful of businesses have left the redeveloped Newport Market just months after it reopened. Three traders have vacated their stalls in the market, which reopened in March following a major year-long revamp.
The redevelopment of the Grade-II listed building, which cost between £5m and £6m, opened to great fanfare in March featuring more than 30 traders across retail, food and drink, leisure, and office space. Check out our ultimate guide to everything you can eat, drink, and do in the market here.
However several empty stalls have been spotted over the past week and it's been confirmed that Rae Barton Fruit and Veg, The Elephant's Ear, and Imagenation have all left the market.
Read more: Plans for dining rooms, yoga studio and games arcade in Newport market cellar set for approval
The most significant departure is Rae Barton, which had been based in the market since 1906 and was one of the original traders announced to return last October. Cardiff-based house plants shop The Elephant's Ear was one of the most eagerly anticipated businesses announced but has now confirmed its departure though you can still find it at Upper Kincraig Street in the capital.
Writing on social media earlier this month it said: "This Saturday, July 9, is the last day of our pop-up store at Newport Market. We had a blast and it’s been great meeting and chatting with all you lovely planty people! Don’t forget you can still find us at our Cardiff store, at markets across south Wales, and at theelephantsear.com."
Salisbury digital art and illustration business Imagenation was another market newbie but has now confirmed it has closed its Newport site but remains open for online commissions, with its owner confirming it had opened as a three-month pop-up and was not a permanent tenant. It is understood the remaining traders at the market are permanent tenants rather than pop-ups. One new trader – Bristol-based ANNA Cake Couture – has already announced it will be bringing its eye-catching selection of confectionery to the market, which you can find out more about here.
Simon Baston, managing director of developers Loft Co, confirmed the closures to WalesOnline but said he expected a "natural evolution" with businesses opening and closing within the market as it responded to demand. "Rae Barton came in on a trial basis," he said. "It was a week-by-week trial and they decided that it wasn't working out. The others were pop-ups and are being replaced by permanent tenants."
Mr Baston said footfall had been good at the market since it opened but that it was not immune to changing high street trends. "The food and drink is flying. One of our challenges is converting that to the retail side of things," he said. "The retail is finding its feet again. We have to be much more niche so there will be a natural ebb and flow with that as has always been the case with markets traditionally.
"We have a waiting list of people waiting to go inside. There will be a lot of fluidity. It's a natural course of events so there is no issue with that at all."
Mr Baston said both pop-up units had already been replaced with permanent tenants – a bubble tea shop and a photography studio – which are due to open shortly. He also said work on developing the underground vaults – which are set to be turned into a multi-use space including yoga, video games, and dining rooms after plans were approved this month – would begin in the coming weeks.
"We've built an underground children's play area at the rear entrance and put down benches at the sides of the retail," he added. "Over the next few weeks we will be adding greenery to the retail area and we have over 50 organisations booked for events upstairs from weddings to conferences. We will also be doing comedy nights.
"The vaults will start in the next two weeks and will be finished before Christmas. I believe there's only one more of those in the UK. Tramshed Tech have also taken up 32 offices on the front of the market. It's 85% let which we are really pleased with. The market will naturally attract places you can't get in the supermarket or online."
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