Sweet seller kicked out of town market after 24 years

A trader who has run a sweet stall in his town’s market for more than 20 years has been forced out in a drive to push healthy food.

Kevin Hilliard had just arrived to open his stall selling pick ‘n’ mix at the market in Saxmundham, Suffolk, on March 6 when he received two letters from the town council.

The first detailed a restructure of the market and the second one directly addressed Mr Hilliard, asking him to vacate his plot by March 27.

Saxmundham Town Council is seeking to rebrand the weekly Wednesday market event as “Fresh Fare at Fromus Square”.

According to his daughter Michaela Kerry, the second letter said they could no longer support his sweets stall as they were focusing on fresh produce.

Mr Hilliard has run the stand for the last 24 years allowing customers to make their own pick ‘n’ mix bags with bonbons, jelly babies and liquorice allsorts.

‘People’s own choice to buy sweets’

He said: “I can’t see it being a sensible decision. It is people’s own choice if they buy sweets or not.

“I do not feel the residents of Saxmundham have been given a say in what they want from the market as the posts on social media show the level of support for me.

“I am totally overwhelmed by the level of support I have received.”

Mrs Kerry has set up a petition calling for the stall to be saved, with 849 signatures as of Monday.

She said: “His sweet stall has been a staple at this market for years and has brought joy to countless community members.

“This decision by the town council not only affects my father but also impacts our community’s sense of tradition and loyalty.

“It is clear that many residents value what they have in their weekly market - including my dad’s pick ‘n’ mix sweets stall.”

The town council said it had been looking at ways to revive the struggling market, which had been in decline for some time due to reduced visitors.

It added it had been at risk of closing unless steps were taken to safeguard its future and that the Wednesday event had not proven as popular as the monthly Saturday market.

The council said: “The move towards a fresh food market was taken by the councillors in the face of the very real concern that the weekly market in its current form is unsustainable.

“Truthfully, it is on the brink of closure due to poor footfall.

“In our efforts to support the weekly market, the stall fees were waived so all traders have had a free service to help them for several years.

“The decision to rebrand and redirect the weekly market with a focus on fresh produce was not a snap nor an easy decision.

“It was one taken after months of careful consideration, both amongst councillors, the surrounding businesses, the market traders and members of the public.”

The council also said the strength of feeling on social media was “genuinely unexpected” and hoped the posters would visit the market.