Ever felt lost in the supermarket? Does the prospect of a hot and bothered check-out girl leave you cold?

Increasingly people are turning away from faceless corporate chains and returning to their local markets – where good value and a human touch can be found in the heart of the community.

Vibrant and colourful, a local market cuts out the middleman, resulting in variety, choice and good value that can be passed on to the consumer.

A recent basket comparison survey showed that markets proved to be cheaper [£28.67] than like-for-like supermarket products [£30.36]. Fruit and vegetables have been shown as the commodity where you can capture the biggest bargain. In the price comparison a shopping basket including apples, potatoes, carrots, plums and cauliflower bought at your local market trader on average totaled £4.69 where as the same products purchased in a supermarket would cost you on average £6.79!

Locally-sourced produce means your food can make it from field to the plate in a matter of hours - resulting not only in guaranteed freshness but fewer food miles and less pollution.

Joe Harrison, CEO of the National Market Traders Federation, joins us to discuss local markets and is available to take your questions on the virtue of market forces.

For more information visit www.nmtf.co.uk

H: Jayne Constantinis, host
J: Joe Harrison, CEO of NMTF

H: Hello and welcome to the Lifestyle Show, I'm Jayne Constantinis. Now then, we've had years of relying on supermarkets for our weekly shop, but the question is, what impact has that had on traditional town centre markets? People often say that they choose supermarkets because they offer better value for money, however a recent study by the National Market Traders Federation suggests that this might not actually be the case. So on today's show we're going to discuss those findings, the importance of local markets and we'll also be announcing the regional winners of the recent "How Green is Your Market" awards. And joining me is Joe Harrison who is the CEO of the NMTF, thanks very much Joe for coming in to talk to me

J: You're welcome

H: Now this research sounds interesting – we do all assume that supermarkets are cheaper, but you're saying that's not the case?

J: Well it isn't the case and often we believe it to be the case because of the extensive and glitzy advertising campaigns that are donned by the larger supermarkets

H: And they've got the money to do that

J: Exactly that which the local market traders, and we personally represent 34,000 of them, and they obviously cannot fit that into a budget, I mean TV advertising is a costly item

H: So just give us some figures I mean in percentage terms how much are we likely to save if we shop at our local market?

J: Well generally on a fruit and vegetables – the fresh produce – we can save up to 30% which is a huge difference

H: Yes, especially you know at the moment when everybody's looking to tighten their belt

J: Well yes we do hope that markets will see an upsurge in the near future because of the so-called credit crunch and the financial aspects of what's happening out there

H: Sure. And the other thing of course is, it's not just about money, is it? It's an experience. I've got a market close to me, within walking distance. Saturday morning there's a buzz about it, there's a really great atmosphere

J: Yes it's a totally different shopping experience on a market. The market – you can feel the atmosphere on a market once you walk onto a market, and it's the personal service that's available as far as the interaction between the buyer and the seller, the – people build up quite long term relationships on – because they serve the same people, they're generally from the same local community, so yes it's a totally different aspect and something that's certainly can't be achieved in a larger supermarket

H: Yes. And then there's the banter of course

J: Of course, obviously

H: You're an ex-market trader yourself – where do you learn all that cheeky chappy stuff?

J: I think it's natural, you just actually, you're a flow with it, and actually I think that is the purpose – there's more reasons to become a market trader than just making money because there's actually that – you feed back – it's like an actor feeding back from an audience

H: Yes

J: There's a great deal of enjoyment in it

H: There is, you're right, there's an element of performance isn't there?

J: Yes well very much so

H: Behind your wares there is a sense of that theatre

J: That's right

H: Isn't there?

J: Yes

H: And of course markets gather together all different generations, that's one thing I notice when I'm you know queuing at my fruit and veg stall, that there are old people and families with children, there's a very good mix isn't there?

J: There's an excellent mix. I mean we do fruit – we have in more recent years lost some of the younger people from markets, but more recently, in the last few months I think maybe because of the financial aspects, people have started to come back. We're starting to introduce more and more young people to come and shop on markets. Maybe because there's some new products being sold on these days

H: Yes

J: And we want to encourage more of that

H: Yes. And I think as well it's quite important, isn't it, for children – there's something a bit more real about the food you buy at a market. It's not pre-packaged, it doesn't feel as processed and these days when we're all trying to encourage our kids to understand a bit more about what real food is like, you know that potatoes are actually quite dirty when you dig them up out of the ground

J: That's right, yes

H: You can do that at a market can't you?

J: Well you can, and it's like to encourage children to eat fruit or whatever. I mean the advantage of being loose and not packaged and whatever, is you want a child to try an apple or try – you can buy one and try the one, and that's the advantage also. There's nothing packaged up and oversized and I think that's always going to be the case on markets, that there's got the attraction where we can make that offer

H: Can't eat the produce on the way round the supermarket –

J: No that's right – it's not barcoded

H: Like my daughter sometimes does

J: That's right

H: And what about freshness? I mean the fact that, you know, there aren't fridges there in the back of the stall and so on – are people sometimes a bit worried that it's not as fresh as it could be? How do they – what happens about the turnover?

J: They shouldn't, they really shouldn't because it's quite the opposite. The opposite is because people buy daily, I mean your fruit and veg seller will go to the market 3, 4 o'clock that morning and buy that produce, it will be fresh and so the concept of being worried about whether the food is fresh, it's far fresher than that available in the supermarkets, because they haven't bought it in huge quantities and used huge coal stores to save it. So you're looking at a fresher product

H: And is there any difference in where market traders source the produce? Is there anything that's environmentally better in a market stall?

J: Well I think you'll find on most markets you'll find a lot of local produce, and it's generally, I mean in more recent years there's been the farmer's markets introduced when the actual farmer is coming to market, which is the whole concept, it's regurgitated really because that's how markets began in the first place, hundreds of years ago, it was the farmer that bought his produce to market, and sold the fresh produce. So really we want to try and highlight the fact that that's what's happening today, still happening today, and this is your best place to go and shop on markets

H: You were talking about the – that you're trying to encourage younger people to become market traders and so on, my perception of markets these days – and I'm not assuming that I'm in that younger category, but anyway – is that it's actually quite trendy to shop at a market. I've got, quite close to me – Borough market which is – I mean it's a tourist attraction in itself as well – but I think that it's now quite a cool thing to do, to shop at a market

J: It is certainly becoming so and obviously we want to encourage more and more of that, and actually encouraging people to learn to cook and actually – I think the celebrity chefs have done us an awful lot of favours. The tele – I mean you turn on the TV you've got a cooking program these days, but the great thing about them is the chefs do use local markets, they do use – and that highlights the fact that that is the freshest place to get your produce and the cheapest place to get your produce, and the variety and choice that's there available, which you will not necessarily find in the supermarkets

H: Yes and of course we've been talking a lot about produce, about food and so on, but it's not just about food is it? I mean some of the biggest retailers around started off behind a market stall

J: They certainly did and obviously the choice, the variety and choice that's available on markets, obviously like you say we shop there for our food but the products that are available on markets now is absolutely vast and this – very few things you can't obtain on a market, and there's a misconception also sometimes with the public that they've not got the same cover or – we're covered by the same legislation on markets so there's no fear to buying from a market as there is from any other retailer

H: And it's a great place for small, entrepreneurial businesses to start and to test out new products who can't maybe afford to have proper premises, and so on

J: It's an excellent place, I mean really I'm – I can speak from first-hand experience, I mean it was the only way into business that I could find and is generally the case with most people, the hurdles are lower to jump into business and you can build up slowly and at your own pace and the actual expense, as you're saying – there's no commitment, even God forbid it doesn't work, there's no massive lease around your neck and there's no follow-on commitment. If the business fails, so it's an ideal opportunity for any young entrepreneur or not-so-young entrepreneur who wants to try something different, it's ideal

H: Yes. The only thing you can't legislate for of course is the weather

J: Well you can't but then we live in Britain, I don't think we've all become that soft really, you know we do some fantastic outdoor sports and such like so I don't see it as that really puts people off

H: There's no such thing as bad weather – just inappropriate clothing!

J: That's right

H: Bit of tarpaulin – and you're sorted aren't you?

J: Yes

H: You said earlier that markets are becoming more popular in these straightened financial times, and that's fantastic news, but generally they are under threat from the big supermarkets aren't they? What can we do, what can those of us who really care about local markets what can we do to encourage them?

J: I think the shopping public has got to really look at this – hopefully the credit crunch will highlight the fact and bring to the forefront that markets are a great value, and they need to be supported by the public, and if you're benefitting from financially then you're also benefitting on the freshness of the produce, so you really should go along and support these people, because generally they will be local people, and in the main, the economy, the local economy will benefit because the traders are local but the money will get spent again in the local community and it would certainly won't happen if you're shopping in the supermarkets

H: Yes. It can herald can't it, the death of an entire town centre –

J: It certainly can

H: For lots of –

J: It certainly can and I think that's been highlighted –

H: Yes

J: In America and it's certainly happening here now

H: So what's different then with our European neighbours – I'm thinking France, Italy, Spain in particular where markets there are such an integral part of everybody's lives?

J: I think that the difference, quite frankly, I mean I've travelled France, Spain, particularly Italy is they've hold on to their culture. I mean we were a nation of market traders, market shoppers, and we haven't simply held onto our culture, and the culture is on the continent to use markets to shop on markets and I think we need to get back there – here in Britain and to be using them more

H: We've gone more down the American model where big is –

J: We've gone too Americanised generally, that's right, and that is a big problem

H: So just – we were talking about people wanting to start up – just where would they start if they feel that urge to get behind the stall and do a bit of performance?

J: The first thing they've got to do Jayne is they've got to look at what they want to sell before they go there, and go down the local market and see what's available, and if there's a niche for themselves, because at the end of the day it's all about survival, and if there's a niche in the market then there could be a product and a great need, and certainly some younger people, even if they're in design students or such like and they want a shop window for their own designs of clothing or whatever, I mean it's fairly easily – as I said before, the hurdles are very low, you can approach the local market office, you can come to the NMTF and we can point you in the right direction. It isn't a difficult situation but they must put a good deal of thought into what you want to sell and how you're going to go about it

H: And it looks to me as if it's a – you know a lot of fun being a market trader

J: Well there's a big aspect to that and as I say, repeating myself again but there's an awful lot to be gained by serving the public and an awful lot of fun to be had, and so it's not all about rainy days –

H: No it –

J: And a frosty nose

H: and the camaraderie as well with the other traders

J: Exactly

H: That's very important

J: Exactly yes and it is there, you walk on most markets as a trader and – and it's gone back years, that camaraderie between the traders is there, and there's always somebody looking out for you

H: Right. Let's talk about the awards now. Tell us why they were set up and what they celebrate?

J: Well what we wanted to highlight was the fact that not only's the market the cheapest place, but in today's world when we're all looking, and looking after our environment, the markets are the most environmentally – best place to shop, because as we've mentioned before there's no packaging, or very little packaging. In the main, most things are recycled, most of the waste products are recycled, and so we wanted to highlight this fact and, as I've also mentioned before the traders are local, so they're not travelling a great deal and neither are the goods

H: Yes

J: Because they're buying them that day and they're buying them from local wholesale markets or whatever

H: So food miles issue –

J: The whole food miles issue is taken into consideration and it's far, far less – the carbon footprint of a market is far less than that of a supermarket

H: Yes. So people have then applied have they, they've –

J: Yes we encouraged operators to apply and really show off just how well they were doing in doing their bit for the environment, and we've had some really good responses, and so therefore we had to set up 3 different categories, one in the north, one in the Midlands and one in the south to give everybody really – because obviously areas change and there'll be reasons why one will be better than another

H: Sure

J: But there is an overall national winner which will be announced at the award ceremony which will take place at Westminster so –

H: Great. So this is the big moment then, do you want to announce the winners in each category?

J: Yes, yes – well I'll start with the north, I'm from the north –

H: Yes

J: We'll start in the north and the winner in the north region is Darlington, and Darlington market's right in the heart of the town centre, in Darlington, and the runner-up in the north is Caterick Sunday market, it's a privately operated market, and that runs on a Sunday only. In the Midlands there's Nottingham, Victoria market in Nottingham is the winner and the runner-up is Burton-on-Trent and Utoxiter which is the – they're a joint council so they run both markets. And in the south is Bristol, Bristol St Nicholas market, it's a fabulous market, and Ely in Cambridgeshire is the runner-up in the south, so there's a real good geographical spread

H: Yes

J: And as I say the entries, we had some fantastic entries and it was very, very difficult for the judges to choose the winners

H: Great. What was it about – well pick either Darlington or Nottingham that stood out for you?

J: I – well unfortunately I had to stand in for one of the judges because one of the judges was sick that day but to me it was a really difficult task but it was just generally, the thought that had been put into it, and the effort that had been put into it, not only by the operators but by the traders on the market to make their area more environmentally-friendly

H: Yes

J: So certainly the recycling and the reusing of the different waste products would be the plastic trays from the fruit and veg or whether it be the cardboard or whatever, in the way they'd actually reused it rather than just recycled it or sent it away for recycling, they reused it with local – local allotments

H: Oh yes

J: And people using – reusing the –

H: Working in the local community –

J: Recycling in a different aspect

H: So – and the awards are next year so people who are thinking that sounds like a great idea, in a little while they'll be able to go on the website and

J: We'll introduce a new category next year which is the most improved market, so hopefully they'll be more to go, but there is a category also, there was a category – we just did, without a region we did the Green East Market Trader, and that was won by a lady in Doncaster Market, was Kay Kace in Doncaster and she sells recycled and environmentally products which are fabulous, the range on the stall was absolutely incredible

H: Brilliant, lovely. So congratulations to all those winners

J: Yes definitely

H: Those are all the categories you're announcing today

J: Yes that's right

H: And people can apply for next year and in a little while on the website can they?

J: Yes, that's right. We're running the projects again next year and as I say, as highlighted, our green and how environmentally friendly markets are

H: Fantastic, it's been really interesting talking to you, thank you for coming in

J: Thank you

H: And thanks to you for joining us. If you're new to an area and you're not sure where your local market might be, or if you're inspired by what we've been talking about, feeling a bit entrepreneurial and want to know more about how to become a market trader, then visit the website which is nmtf.co.uk. Thanks very much. See you again – bye

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