Markets
The Commerce Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network licenses the markets at the sites of the Velocity Interoperability Network and maintains the register of licensed markets. Twelve markets at the six principal sites hold a market licence from 6 September 2026: four covered general markets, two open-air general markets, two wholesale markets and four specialist or occasional markets. Between them they provide 1,084 licensed pitches.
Every market on the register was operated before establishment under arrangements made by the member organisation responsible for its site. Those arrangements were reviewed during the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, and each market has been licensed on terms that carry its existing market days and opening hours into the register unchanged. Traders selling at a licensed market must hold a trader licence in the market stall category.
Market licences in force from 6 September 2026
The register of licensed markets. The register is maintained by the Department and amended when a licence is granted, varied or revoked. Market days and hours are those recorded in the licence; a market may not trade outside them.
| Market | Site | Type | Market days and hours | Pitches | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Exchange Market Hall | Central Exchange | Covered general market | Monday to Saturday, 07:00–18:00 | 240 | CM-001 |
| Exchange Square Farmers' Market | Central Exchange | Open-air produce market | Saturdays, 08:00–14:00 | 64 | CM-002 |
| Northgate Relay Market | Northgate Relay | Covered general market | Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 08:00–17:00 | 118 | CM-003 |
| Northgate Night Market | Northgate Relay | Open-air evening market | Fridays, 17:00–22:00 | 52 | CM-004 |
| Southbank Terminal Market | Southbank Terminal | Covered general market | Monday to Saturday, 08:00–18:00 | 176 | CM-005 |
| Southbank Quay Fish Market | Southbank Terminal | Wholesale fish market | Tuesday to Saturday, 04:00–09:00 | 38 | CM-006 |
| Eastfield Campus Market | Eastfield Campus | Open-air general market | Wednesdays and Saturdays, 08:00–16:00 | 86 | CM-007 |
| Eastfield Craft Market | Eastfield Campus | Open-air craft market | First Sunday of the month, 10:00–16:00 | 44 | CM-008 |
| Westbrook Wholesale Market | Westbrook Distribution Site | Wholesale produce market | Monday to Saturday, 03:00–10:00 | 96 | CM-009 |
| Westbrook Traders' Market | Westbrook Distribution Site | Covered general market | Thursday to Saturday, 08:00–17:00 | 72 | CM-010 |
| Meridian Court Market | Meridian Court | Open-air general market | Tuesdays and Fridays, 08:00–15:00 | 58 | CM-011 |
| Meridian Antiques Market | Meridian Court | Open-air antiques market | Third Saturday of the month, 09:00–16:00 | 40 | CM-012 |
The two wholesale markets trade in the early morning and are open to licensed traders and to the trade; they are not open to the public. The occasional markets, held monthly at Eastfield Campus and Meridian Court, are licensed for the days stated and may not be held on other days without a variation of the licence.
| Type | Markets | Pitches | Markets of this type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered general market | 4 | 606 | Central Exchange Market Hall, Northgate Relay Market, Southbank Terminal Market, Westbrook Traders' Market |
| Open-air general market | 2 | 144 | Eastfield Campus Market, Meridian Court Market |
| Wholesale market | 2 | 134 | Southbank Quay Fish Market, Westbrook Wholesale Market |
| Specialist and occasional market | 4 | 200 | Exchange Square Farmers' Market, Northgate Night Market, Eastfield Craft Market, Meridian Antiques Market |
| All licensed markets | 12 | 1,084 | Six principal sites of the Network |
The market rules. Markets on the register trade under common rules from 6 September 2026. The rules bind market operators and the licensed traders who sell at their markets, and are enforced by the Department's inspectors. Breach of the rules is a ground for the suspension or revocation of a market licence or a trader licence.
- Allocation of pitches
- Market operators allocate pitches to licensed traders in order of application, keep a written record of every allocation, and may not reserve pitches for undertakings in which the operator has an interest. Regular traders may hold a pitch for up to twelve months at a time.
- Display of licences and prices
- Every stall must display the trader's licence, or the licence number in the form issued by the Department, and the price of every item offered for sale, inclusive of any charge. Prices must be legible from the customer's side of the stall.
- Weights and measures
- Goods sold by weight or measure must be weighed or measured in the customer's presence on equipment verified within the preceding twelve months. Inspectors of the Department may test equipment at any time the market is trading.
- Conduct of market operators
- Operators must keep the market clean and safe, provide the sanitation and waste facilities specified in the market licence, not charge more than the maximum pitch charge set by the Department, and admit inspectors of the Department without notice.
- Market days and hours
- A market may trade only on the days and within the hours recorded in the register. An operator wishing to add or change market days applies to the Department for a variation of the market licence; changes take effect when the register is amended.
Applying for a market licence. A person or organisation wishing to operate a new market, or to operate an existing market under new management, applies to the Department for a market licence. The steps below apply to every application.
Step 1: Confirm the site and the type of market
A market licence is granted for a named site and a single type of market: covered general, open-air general, wholesale, or specialist and occasional. State the proposed market days, hours and number of pitches.
Step 2: Obtain the consent of the site holder
Attach the written consent of the member organisation or other person responsible for the site to the use of the land or building as a market on the proposed days.
Step 3: Prepare the operating plan
Set out the arrangements for pitch allocation, sanitation and waste, the collection of pitch charges, and the display of the market rules. The plan must show how the maximum pitch charges will be observed.
Step 4: Submit the application
Send the application, the consent and the operating plan to the Department by email. Applications are acknowledged within two working days and decided within 25 working days of a complete application being received.
Step 5: Pay the fee and receive the licence
The market licence fee is invoiced when the application is granted and is payable within 30 days. The market is entered in the register, and may begin trading, when the fee is received.
The fee for a market licence, and the maximum pitch charges an operator may levy, are set out on the Fees and Charges page. Figures on market capacity by site are published on the Statistics page. Questions about a market on the register, or a complaint about the conduct of a market operator, may be sent to contact@commerce.gov.vin; see also the frequently asked questions.