More than 10,000 people a day are now regularly visiting the revamped Victorian Market in Inverness.
Two years on from a major redevelopment, numbers coming in the doors of the historic arcade have risen more than ten-fold.
It has exceeded the expectations of the market management and Highland Council who say it was a major risk that has paid off.
Victorian Market: The big refurb
The £1.6 million plan to create a tourist magnet was approved in 2019 but met with opposition from some traders and customers.
The market hall area was closed in January 2021 for a redesign to accommodate new food, drink and retail businesses.
But it came up against the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
The re-opening in September 2022 was low-key in the wake of the Queen’s death and with just four new units ready to open.
Now, however, the food hall is a bustling hub with 12 tenants selling a diverse range of food and the seating capacity of 202 is regularly exceeded.
The latest is an Italian pizza and pasta outlet opened by restauranteur Karthikappallil George.
There is a waiting list for units. Work continues to find an increase in electricity supply or alternative energy source to allow two other outlets to open.
Victorian Market refurb ‘was a risk’
Victorian Market manager Cameron Macfarlane says daily figures are regularly over 10,000, with the highest number being 10,650.
Weekly visitors numbers are hitting 62,000-68,000, compared to an average of 6,500 a week previously.
“It’s been a great success. It’s eclipsed everything we expected.
“The situation now compared to when we started is like chalk and cheese.
“For four or five of the seven days we have 10,000 people and above.
He added: “It was a risk for the council and Common Good Fund to take.
“You still get one or two people saying it was better the old way, which I find hard to believe.
“But you cannot please everyone.
“Tenants in other parts of the market say there has been an uplift since this opened which is fantastic.
“Numbers will drop after the tourist season, but we are hopeful that locals will keep us going.”
Mr Macfarlane is seeking an alcohol licence to plan pop-up tasting events featuring local drinks producers.
What do the traders have to say?
We spoke to some of the traders about how life is going for them.
One of the first businesses to open in the refurbished food hall was off licence Moonshine.
Manager Harvey Wilson said: “It’s great to see it so busy compared to what it was.
“It has become a real venue to go to now.
“Some people were sceptical when it opened, but it has changed a lot of minds.”
‘There’s a buzz about the place’
Seafood business Redshank opened in the Victorian Market in April 2023.
Less than a year later it opened a second unit, The Mart, selling burgers and milkshakes.
Owner Jamie Ross said: “When we started you could sense the direction the place was going in, but it felt incomplete as there were a lot of empty units.
“Since everyone has moved in there has been an absolute buzz about the place.
“It’s great to hear so many people talking well about the Victorian Market.
“It got a bit of flak in the beginning, as many things do when there is a lot of change.”
Delhi street food outlet Namaste Inbhir Nis was opened in February 2023 by chef Hemant Chawla and his wife Pooja.
She said: “It’s been a tremendous experience.
“It was a risk for us, but it has definitely paid off and has been worth all the effort.”
‘People are back in love with the Victorian Market’
David Haas, the council’s Inverness city manager, is delighted with the progress.
He said the market can build on its success, with growing visitor numbers in the city and the redeveloped Inverness Castle set to open next year.
“We could not have hoped for more from the public in the city, the way they have reacted.
“What we wanted to do was make people fall back in love with the Victorian Market. It has done that in spades.
“The acid test is the figures. Previously we were dealing with around 6,000 a week and now we have 60,000-plus.”
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