YOUNG entrepreneurs are being invited to seize a new opportunity to market their wares and ideas in Tavistock.

The town council is launching the first Tavistock Youth Market in the award-winning Tavistock Pannier Market on March 8, in partnership with the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF).

The next Alan Sugar, Mark Zuckerberg or Lucy Goff (wellbeing entrepreneur) are invited to take up a stall to get invaluable experience in a competitive sales environment, learning face-to-face selling and marketing skills while meeting the public.

The Youth Market is being launched in partnership with the NMTF, which recently awarded the Tavistock Pannier Market an award for ‘best indoor market’.

Olivia Hughes, duty officer for Tavistock Town Council, is organising the youth market at Butchers’ Hall in Tavistock to give young entrepreneurs the opportunity to experience selling their wares in a market setting.

She said the town council invited all aspiring young traders and enthusiastic visitors to join in with the event.

Over 20 new traders will be showcasing their talents, offering a variety of products. Visitors will also get the chance to vote for their favourite stall in a competition held at each market to determine the best trader of the day.

The youth market aims to support a new generation of innovative young traders.

At just 25 years old herself, Olivia understands the needs and aspirations of her peers: “The average age of a typical market trader is over 50. When they retire, there’s no one stepping up to take their place.

“This Youth Market provides the next generation with the chance to experience the excitement of trading in a market environment. It’s a fantastic opportunity, and there’s so much they can learn, for example, how to set up their stall, make their products and packaging appealing, display items attractively, stay organised, handle money, set realistic prices to sell their goods, and most importantly, interact with customers face-to-face. What’s more, it’s completely free for young traders.”

She added:“This experience will allow young people to test their products by pricing in front of a discerning public. By offering free pitches, we’re making the market accessible to everyone.

“Who knows, these traders could be running stalls in the pannier market in the future. There are numerous examples of traders who started in the market, grew their businesses, and eventually moved to high street shops. In fact, some have even turned to the market after establishing their businesses.”

Brett Kinsman-Daw is a shining example of starting his business in the pannier market, a hothouse of enterprise. He started and owns ABC Service, a thriving local IT business.

He started, age 17, selling goods and computer services from two tables in Tavistock Pannier Market. He then built up ABC which has an annual turnover exceeding £250,000 after moving from the market to premises in the town.

Brett’s commercial instincts had early roots in his schooldays at Tavistock College, where although he was studying childcare and development with the intention of becoming a teacher, he had a sideline in selling printed T-shirts and assisting people with their PCs.

Success came after some hard times waiting on tables and cleaning toilets at the pannier market while running his fledgling business.