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Like the suburb it serves, Boscombe

Market has had a rough ride over recent

years. Two miles from the centre of

Bournemouth, Boscombe was once a popular

and stylish seaside resort with its own

Victorian pier and seafront.

But the demise of the British seaside holiday

hit the town hard. And as holidaymakers

flocked to Spain for their sun and sangria, the

guesthouses and hotels were sold off and

turned into bedsits, creating an itinerant, down-

at-heel community where drug and alcohol

abuse became a problem.

When the suburb was identified as one of the

most deprived areas in the south-west, it was

clear that something had to be done.

Bournemouth Borough Council took up the

challenge and embarked on an ambitious and

imaginative regeneration programme, which

started at the seafront and has now moved its

focus to Boscombe town centre.

And the market was the obvious place to

start.

Boscombe market started life in 1990 when

the High Street was pedestrianised, providing a

perfect location for a street market running

down the wide street, with busy shops on either

side, as well as the Sovereign Shopping Centre

and the Victorian shopping arcade.

A private operator, Town and Country,

launched it. The man at the helm was John

Perry, whose company Markets JC now runs a

number of summer markets in Dorset including

one at Portland and another at Charmouth.

Kevin Burnett, one of a handful of traders

who have stood the market from day one,

remembers it got off to a good start.

“The market did well in the early years,” he

said. “It is a good location and the footfall was

good.”

As competition from supermarkets and cut-

price retailers increased, the market flagged,

and in 2006 Bournemouth Council took over

its running.

“There was something of a renaissance,” said

Carol Butler, the town centre manager. “The

council invested in bright yellow and blue

gazebos and it looked more attractive.”

Sadly, the good times didn’t last. The

recession has taken its toll, and the loss of

Marks & Spencer and TJ Hughes affected

footfall in the town centre.

The number of stalls on the market dwindled

and it lost its mojo.

Boscombe’s fight back began at the seafront,

with the council buying back the multi-

occupancy former guesthouses as and when

they came on the market, and converting them

into apartments for families and young

professionals.

An artificial reef was created for surfers.

Although a flop as far as surfing is concerned,

it is now being promoted as a boon for scuba

divers.

Stylish new seafront apartments have sprung

up and one recently sold for over £1 million.

There are attractive gardens, an activity

centre and a land train bringing people to and

from the seafront every half hour.

As the regeneration focus shifts to the town

itself, Carol Butler has taken on the

regeneration batten and the market is at the

centre of her plans.

She has taken a leaf out of Mary Portas’s

book, and the positive new attitude is music to

the ears of market traders.

“The market has always been profitable,” she

said. “But turnover has fallen from £150,000 to

£60,000 a year. We think it is about time we

put something back and invest in the market. It

is the quickest and easiest way to regenerate

Established in 1990, Boscombe market has dwindled in recent years.

But NICOLA GOULD discovers Bournemouth Council has ambitious

plans to regenerate the area. And where better to start than the

market at the heart of this once flourishing south coast suburb?

Matthew Sims sells fresh fish from Brixham at Boscombe’s

Thursday and Saturday markets Chef Jasmine Bawornrat launched her own business last April

selling delicious Thai food

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the centre of town,” she said.

Carol is working closely with market

manager Rod Wilson and they have a good

rapport with the traders.

Both agree that they need more traders, and

more diversity in the type of products for sale

on the market.

Rod said: “We have a good basic market.

We have all the core stalls.”

There is a busy fresh fish stall run by

Matthew Sims, who buys from Brixham.

Matthew has been standing the market for

seven years and is regularly sold out towards

the end of both market days.

There is a pitching butcher, a cheese stall,

some excellent new hot food businesses as well

as the traditional tea and burger wagon, and

some excellent non-food market businesses.

What is missing is the buzz and vibrancy.

Carol said: “We are investing in new gazebos

which will be available for start-up

businesses.”

At the moment there are 20 to 30 traders, but

there is room for 44 stalls.

The council has joined forces with JP Morgan

to offer free advice for start-ups and the

council runs its own bank, The Bank of

Bournemouth, which offers loans at good rates.

Rod says that several traders have moved

from the market into shops and are doing well.

And there are plenty of new and not so new

traders on Boscombe market showing flair and

entrepreneurship in developing their market

businesses.

Jan Moore took over the flower stall where

she worked 18 months ago. “I have expanded

into plants and I also offer a flower service for

weddings and funerals,” she said.

“I sell higher quality flowers, as I decided I

only wanted to sell the sort of flowers I would

want in my home. And it has worked well for

me,” she said.

Other new traders are finding their feet on the

market. Jasmine Bawornrat launched her hot

Thai food business on the market last April

after previously working as a chef in a hotel,

then as a caterer for a bank.

“The dream was to start my own business on

the market and I am really enjoying it,” she

said.

Simone Ciccolella was spending his first day

on Boscombe market on the day of our visit. A

five star chef from Rome, Simone is just the

type of trader the market needs.

Simone came to Boscombe to be with Linda

Vakermanova, whom he met in Cape Verde.

“I am here for love,” he said. “I have been a

chef in four and five star restaurants but the

restaurant life doesn’t give you any free time, so

I am trying something different on the market.”

Simone is starting in a small way selling

Italian cookies and delicious hot food snacks.

His amazing food was going down a treat on the

High Street, and a few more recruits like

Simone could soon transform the market.

Carol said: “Boscombe is changing. We are

Jan Moore took over the flower business where she helped out 18 months ago and has

expanded it to include plants and a wedding and funerals flower service

Kevin Burnett and his son Marley have plenty of regular customers

at their fruit and veg stall. Kevin has stood the market from day one.

Carol Butler is Boscombe’s town centre manager. Her brief is to

reinvigorate the market as part of a wider strategy to regenerate the

town centre. She is pictured with market manager Rod Wilson

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n

FACTS & FIGURESl Market Days: Thursday and

Saturday

l Market Rent: £26 a day for a

three metre gazebo

l Boscombe’s claim to fame:

Boscombe is a suburb of

Bournemouth with its own pier

and seafront. It was a popular

English seaside resort before

people began holidaying abroad

and is in the process of

rebranding itself as a buzzy, arty

place for families and young

professionals.

attracting more families, arty people and young

professionals. We want the market to be at the

heart of this shift.”

Carol is already making headway in her

mission to reinvigorate the market,

commissioning a report from The National

Association of British Market Authorities

(NABMA) on how to improve the market.

As well as new gazebos, the layout of the

market has been improved and lamppost

banners are planned. New seating and planters

have been installed.

Carol would like to see a street food hub in the

market, and more stalls selling diverse products

and produce.

Artisan bread is high on her list, as is arty,

crafty market businesses.

The council recently ran a tweetathon and she

is encouraging traders to get involved in

tweeting about the market and their business to

put the market on the social media map.

And a comprehensive, integrated marketing

strategy will be drawn up to help put the buzz

back in Boscombe.

It’s early days, but the commitment is strong,

and all the signs are that Boscombe is on the up,

and the market is the engine for regeneration.

Simone Ciccolella is a five star chef from Rome who has set up stall on

Boscombe market selling Italian specialities including biscuits and hot snacks.

He is pictured with his girlfriend, Linda Vakermanova.