Markets’ £42 million Christmas bonus for city

The hugely-popular Christmas Markets in Manchester brought a massive £42.6 million worth of business to the city last year, according to new figures announced today.

That's the total amount independent experts reckon was spent by visitors to the markets during the five weeks they were open in November and December.

Councillor Eddy Newman, Manchester City Council's Executive Member responsible for markets, said: "This figure is the economic impact to the city, including shops, bars restaurants and hotels - and does not even include the substantial spending by customers at the markets themselves.

"This demonstrates the massive benefit the Christmas markets bring to the city, not just in providing the chance to have fun and buy a wide range of goods, food and drink but also in terms of huge amounts of money attracted into the city's economy.

"People come from far and wide to visit and shop at our Christmas markets, which have been going from strength to strength since they started ten years ago.

"More than half the businesses trading on the market are either from the city, the wider region or elsewhere in the UK, complementing the traders from abroad who bring such interest and colour to the markets."

Visitor surveys on behalf of Manchester Markets, the arm of the City Council that runs the busy Christmas markets, shows that an average of 43,000 people a day visited the European Market in Albert Square between 15 November and 19 December.

Using research from last year and figures from a detailed survey of all the market sites in 2005, the experts calculate that the overall benefit to the city of the markets was £42.6 million in 2007, more than double the figure for 2005.

In addition to the Albert Square market there were stalls on four other sites in the city centre - a German Market in St Ann's Square, an Arts and Crafts Market in Exchange Street, and general Christmas Markets in New Cathedral Street and Brazennose Street.

In the ten years they have been operating, the Manchester Christmas Markets have maintained a strong focus on helping the development of businesses from the city and the region, and have helped many small businesses grow.

Feedback from international traders has been equally positive, with many considering the markets in Manchester to be among the best in Europe, and a flood of requests to return next year already in.

Media contact:

Claire Keegan, tel 0161 234 4014