Concern over market hall future after Wilko nears administration

Though all of its stores currently remain open amid the administration process, the move by the UK retailer puts 12,000 jobs and 400 stores at risk nationally.

Yesterday Sky News reported that specialist investor Gordon Brothers is in talks with Wilko advisers about structuring a potential deal.

Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Carlisle, Julie Minns, raised concerns after the company made the announcement on Thursday.

According to a 2021 marketing brochure from retail specialists Green & Partners, for a property which incorporates the market hall alongside the Eden centre and its retail units, Wilko accounts for a significant proportion of the rent paid to the leaseholder.

Ms Minns said she is concerned that any closure of Wilko could also put the future viability of the market at risk.

The market hall has a prominent place on the high street (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)Commenting after the retailer filed a notice of intention (NOI) to appoint administrators, Ms Minns said, "Carlisle Market Hall has been at the heart of our city for well over a century, and we have to do everything we can to ensure it continues.

“The loss of Wilko's wouldn't just be disastrous for staff and customers, it could potentially put the viability of the market at risk.

“That's why I'll be contacting both the GMB union and Cumberland Council to discuss the situation with Wilko's."

A spokesperson for Wilko said that “no store closures have been announced and all stores remain open as usual.”

Carlisle Market Hall is home to a number of small stallholders, including businesses that have traded there since the 1970s, and also has some food outlets, though some stalls in the market lie empty.

Despite alterations in the early 1990s, Carlisle market retains much of its original structure, including the original ironwork made by the world famous Carlisle engineering and crane maker Cowans and Sheldon.

The former Carlisle City Council had previously explored buying back the market's lease and Carlisle Market Hall was one of several projects included in the Carlisle Town Deal.

£3million of central government money was secured to improve the Market Hall and explore options to create a food court and events space.

READ MORE: Calls for 'robust action' to save Carlisle's high street shops

However, minutes from a town deal board meeting show the City Council dropped the plans in March this year and distributed the funding to six other Town Deal projects.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, Carlisle City Council couldn’t come to an agreement with the owners of the lease within the timeframes allowed by the Town Deal funding allocation.

“Consequently, the Carlisle Town Deal Board recommended that these funds were reallocated to other Town Deal projects. This has been agreed by government.

“The Wilko’s and Market Hall building are leased to a private company and are not directly managed by the council. The Carlisle site has not been identified for closure and is still trading.”

Ms Minns said she has a 'very personal connection' to the market having worked on one of the stalls while studying for her A-levels at Trinity school.

“Whilst retail has changed,” she said, "people are looking for different shopping experiences, and with the right vision Carlisle market hall could be as relevant today as it was 40, 50, 100 years ago."