Modern Markets, Traditional Roots - The Future of Market Halls

Markets are woven into the DNA of our towns. Many places owe their very existence to a Royal Market Charter, and even today, road signs proudly announce "Market Town" as a badge of identity. These spaces are more than commercial hubs—they’re cultural landmarks and community anchors.

The last major evolution in markets came during the Victorian era, when sprawling street markets were enclosed in purpose-built halls. Towns competed to build the most impressive structures—vaulted roofs, ornate stonework, and extensive floorplans all became symbols of civic pride. But while the buildings endure, for some their role in town life has faltered.

Today’s market halls are facing mounting challenges. Their Victorian grandeur belies an uncomfortable truth: many are underused, underfunded, and increasingly irrelevant to modern audiences.

Part of the challenge is generational. Older shoppers remember markets as essential destinations for fresh produce, household items, and everyday bargains. For younger audiences, that appeal has shifted. They’re drawn to experience-led destinations: street food, social events, and artisanal goods. The market isn’t dead—it’s just changing shape.

Meanwhile, the traditional trader base is in steep decline. Many long-established businesses are closing without successors, and new traders often treat markets as part-time platforms alongside online retail, not full-time premises. The result? Empty stalls, fragmented offers, and reduced footfall.

Add to that the cost of upkeep. Many market halls are listed buildings, with a backlog of maintenance and decades of underinvestment. For local authorities already managing tight budgets, these structures become financial liabilities rather than community assets.

And yet, there is a future—one we’ve seen up close. Across the country, a new generation of Modern Market Halls is taking root. Backed by capital funding, often secured through government grants, these revitalised markets are embracing a new role: part traditional retail space, part food hall, part workspace, part community venue. From hybrid models to highly curated food-led spaces, they are re-establishing markets as the social and economic heart of town centres.

Some critics argue they’re not ‘real’ markets. But let’s not forget: markets have always adapted to their times. These new models reflect a return to the original spirit—a place where buyers and sellers gather, where trade and community intertwine with small business at its heart.

What matters is not nostalgia—it’s relevance. And the most successful modern markets are those tailored to their local context. Shrewsbury has retained a retail-led mix. Southport has gone all-in on street food. Grainger Market in Newcastle blends traditional and modern uses. There is no one-size-fits-all solution—and that's the point.

So where does that leave the many struggling market halls across the UK?

They need bold thinking. Investment. And tailored strategies that reflect local need, not national templates. At Next Phase, we work with councils and communities to reimagine their markets—not just cosmetically, but operationally and financially. We help towns unlock funding, build business cases, and create market halls that serve as vibrant, inclusive places once again.

There are challenges, yes. But there are also opportunities—especially for historic and listed buildings, which are increasingly eligible for grant support. If your market is at a crossroads, now is the time to act.

Markets have always had their critics. When Darlington’s Victorian market hall was first proposed, one local newspaper decried the loss of the open market square as a “wrong” inflicted on the poor. Today, that same market hall is an iconic part of the townscape.

Let’s not wait for today’s halls to fall further into decline. Let’s reimagine them—together—as the community assets they’ve always had the potential to be.

Talk to us at Next Phase about your market’s future. We’re here to help you plan boldly, invest wisely, and make markets matter again.

“The powers that be have decided that our noble spacious and glorious old Market Place, the pride of every native, with the exception of a few Jobbers who have no love for anything but filthy lucre, and who worship no God but Mammon, is to be built upon, we the poor who cannot afford to leave our homes and enjoy the pure air of a “villa residence”, are to suffer this wrong”

- Newspaper quote from a local resident when proposals were submitted for Darlington Market Hall, now an iconic feature of the town.