Revamped St Johns prepares for November opening

Liverpool’s historic St Johns Market is to reopen on 14 November following its £2.5m refurbishment.

The renovation programme started in June this year and has allowed the expansion of the market by a third, from 90 stalls to 120.

New services include a staffed welcome desk, free WiFi, a 2,712 sq ft event space, new lifts and toilets, a 200-capacity seating area and a food court. In the New Year, Liverpool City Council is to relocate its one-stop shop service from the Municipal Buildings to St Johns.

The market, which first opened in 1822, now totals 41,355 sq ft at ground floor level and 27,275 sq ft at the balcony level.

Liverpool City Council, which in September acquired control of the city’s markets in a £1 deal with its former joint venture operator-partner Geraud Markets UK, has confirmed that the market will reopen on Monday 14 November.

Public areas surrounding the market, including Clayton Square, have been subject to a £3.5m upgrade led by Kings Construction.

The St Johns professional team included Graham Interior Fit Out, which has used the Liverpool Recruitment Company for site labour as and when required, M&E sub-contractor William Coates, SMK as demolition sub-contractor and Liverpool firm John Sutch Cranes, which removed the old external canopies over a series of night shifts.

Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “St Johns Market has been totally transformed – people will not recognise the place. But the change is not just physical; a lot of time and planning is going into how the market is animated and promoted and, critically, how the customer experience is improved.”