Footfall at Leeds Kirkgate Market is up 33% from its 2021 post-Civid levels with almost six million visitors after a £10m refurbishment project.
Twenty new businesses have moved in – the most in a single year – and the number of outdoor casual traders also rose 34% in the year.
The first phase of the redevelopment saw 24 units renovated and improved with features such as new canopy fronts, electric roller shutters, extraction ducting, LED lighting and extra storage space.
Another 16 units are now due for completion in March as part of the scheme’s final phase. Five of these units have been pre-let.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor said: “We’re hugely proud of both Leeds Kirkgate Market’s past and the investment we’ve made to ensure it has an equally bright future.
“It’s extremely pleasing, therefore, to see footfall at the market continuing to grow and plenty of new businesses beating a path to its door.
“The transformation of the blockshops area is an important part of the current success story, with a really encouraging level of interest and take-up in the units that have been renovated to date.
“We are now aiming to maintain that momentum as further units are completed and made available for use over the course of 2025.
“The improvements at the market – coupled with its popular programme of events for all the family – mean that, more than ever, this is an asset the whole city can enjoy and take pride in.”
