Having won the tender issued in the OJEU format for the operation of Rochdale Market, including indoor and outdoor elements, MAM (Rochdale) Ltd. has worked closely with Rochdale Development Agency since early 2017 developing a new and exciting market offer. We have provided a team of the UK’s finest and experienced experts in this specialist field and the result has been a long-time coming but breathtaking.
Despite requests, we have not received final legal versions of the occupational documents for the indoor and outdoor markets associated with the tender.
Nevertheless, The Council asked us to operate the outdoor market from 18th August, with which we complied with a limited budget on the understanding the full raft of formal documentation would be imminently forthcoming.
Unfortunately, formal agreements have not been forthcoming and after softly expanding the outdoor market for a few weeks without security of a formal agreement, on Monday 24th September, we informed RDA that we would temporarily withdraw services on Wednesday 26th September until all agreements are in place and we could launch both the indoor and outdoor markets simultaneously as originally planned.
We issued a letter to all traders, which is attached.
We have been in regular daily contact with RDA and we did not receive any notification that our services were no longer required as reported yesterday. This is very surprising and disheartening for all and disappointing to hear the news via the press. We had also pre-let the entire indoor market building with wonderful food traders and caterers and these will also be anxious now as to the future.
Malcolm Veigas Director of Operations MAM (Rochdale) Ltd 27th September 2018.