Historic Covered Market will get marketing boost

The council owns the historic market and is landlord to the traders who occupy it.

For a number of years traders, including those who are members of the Covered Market Tenants’ Association, have been asking council leaders for assistance with marketing.

READ AGAIN: Empty units filled with festive pop-ups at the Covered Market

Now the council has responded by advertising for a part-time marketing officer.

One of the employee’s responsibilities will be to design a new updated website for the market.

The job description for the digital marketing and events officer says: “The Covered Market’s traders have asked the city council to take over responsibility for the market’s website, social media and wider marketing.

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“Meanwhile, the council is looking to develop a programme of events and activities within the market’s communal spaces.

“We are therefore now looking for someone to join the council’s communications team to oversee the redesign of the market’s website, manage the market’s social media and wider marketing, and help organise a programme of events and activities within the market - all to promote the market and encourage more people, particularly local residents, to shop in Oxford Covered Market.”

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While a couple of empty units are still being renovated, the market is as full as it possibly can be in the run-up to December 25.

One way of ensuring that valuable retail space does not go to waste in the festive period is to operate a number of pop-up shops.

This was trialled last year by Graham MacDonald, who runs iScream gelateria and luxury chocolate shop.

Wicked Chocolate opened as a pop-up store until Easter in the former Macsamillion unit, selling artisan chocolate and Christmas gifts and it is running again this year, together with a pop-up run by The Garden of Oxford.