Northwich Market Shuts 29 Aug, New One Opens 18 Sept

Northwich will be without a market for 19 days. Trading at the Weaver Square market ends on Saturday 29 August, according to Northwich Market’s own website. The replacement at Barons Quay does not open until Friday 18 September, the council confirmed on 20 August.

That gap is not what the council’s own regeneration page promises. That page still says: “The existing market will remain open for business until the new market opens” (Northwich Market regeneration page). It has not been updated to reflect the closing date.

What is happening, and when

• Saturday 29 August: last day of trading at Weaver Square.
• 30 August to 17 September: no market in Northwich.
• Friday 18 September, 9am: the new market opens at Barons Quay. Northwich Mayor Cllr Robert Cernik and Deputy Mayor Cllr Rachel Waterman will cut the ribbon.

The Weaver Square building will be demolished. It is to be replaced with around 200 homes, a mix of houses and apartments including affordable homes, plus public realm, flexible event space and a proposed new bus hub for the town centre. That scheme is being brought forward by the council with ION Developments.

Where the new market is, and when it is open

The new market takes a corner unit inside the Barons Quay centre, at 31 Leicester Street, Northwich, CW9 5LG. Its published opening hours are:

That is still four trading days, but not the same four. The council said in September 2024 that Weaver Square traded Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am to 4pm (council release). The new market drops Tuesday, adds Wednesday, and trades six hours later on Friday and Saturday nights. Parking at Barons Quay is free.

Who is trading

Fifteen businesses have been named across the council’s announcements. Seven are food and drink:

• Casa de Sal Bar, the market’s bar, from the team behind Northwich’s Salthouse and Bullring bars, serving Spanish-themed beers and wines
• Bean & Cole, a speciality espresso bar; this will be its third outlet after two in Chester
• Habib’s Shawarma, Lebanese shawarma, kofte, halloumi and falafel
• Spuds 4 U, loaded jacket potatoes, which also trades in Chester city centre and Macclesfield Market
• The Chicken Hatch, buttermilk fried chicken
• Loco 4 Tacos, Mexican-style tacos
• Thai by Thai, already one of Chester Market’s busiest stalls

Eight sell goods and services:

• RetroFits, vintage clothing and retro sportswear, taking a double stall
• The Style Hut, a ladies’ fashion boutique, moving over from the old market
• Beauty Wow, hair and beauty products for Afro and European hair types
• Candy Bay, sweets including freeze-dried candy and vegan options
• E Phones Northwich, phone, tablet and gadget repairs
• oneministore, Japanese stationery and preserved flower decorations
• Steve’s Cheeses, artisan cheese and charcuterie
• Pop Specs, eyewear with glasses ready in 20 minutes

Of those fifteen, the council names only The Style Hut as moving across from Weaver Square. In September 2024 the council said the old market had ten traders, selling wool and haberdashery, pet foods, eggs, gifts, greeting cards, computer repairs, guitar tuition, school uniforms and workwear, alongside a boutique and a cafe. Where the other nine end up is not recorded in any council announcement we can find.

Stalls are still available. The market is asking for traders in grocery, flowers, shoes, trainers, vinyl, artwork, key cutting and oriental goods. All the hot-food stalls are taken.

What it means for you

If you shop at Weaver Square, Saturday 29 August is your last chance at that site. After that the nearest council markets are in Chester and Ellesmere Port until the new one opens.

If you are a trader without a place at Barons Quay, there are stalls left and the categories the market is short of are listed above.

If you use the market on a Tuesday, that day is gone. The new market opens Wednesday to Saturday instead, and stays open until 10pm on Friday and Saturday.

The buses that serve Barons Quay, per the market’s own page, are the X29 from Winsford, the 4 to Barnton, the 2 to Rudheath, the 1 to Weaverham, and the 82, 82a and 82b from Chester.

How the timetable slipped

The move was approved by the council’s Cabinet in July 2024. That September the council published the first architect’s visualisation and said the market was “expected to open in winter 2025”. By September 2025, when trader recruitment opened, the date had become “summer 2026”. The regeneration page later said only “during 2026”. The opening is now 18 September 2026, roughly a year after the date first given.

The £1.8m spend is described by the council as the biggest investment in Northwich Market since the 1960s. When it consulted on the move in May 2025, it received over 1,100 responses, with 93% supportive of moving the market to Barons Quay (council release, 1 September 2025).

One wall of the new market carries the restored sixty-year-old “Indoor Market” sign from Weaver Square. Fifty hanging fish and crayfish mobiles made by Northwich primary schoolchildren, inspired by the River Weaver, will hang over the seating area.

Sources

• Northwich Market and its Visit Us page (29 August closing date, opening hours, address, buses, trader vacancies)
• Opening date announced for new Northwich Market, Cheshire West and Chester Council, 20 August 2026 (18 September opening, trader list, Weaver Square homes scheme)
• New Northwich Market launches trader recruitment drive, 1 September 2025 (summer 2026 date, 26 October applications deadline, 1,100 consultation responses, 93% support)
• Northwich Market to open four days a week, 30 September 2024 (July 2024 Cabinet approval, winter 2025 target, ten traders, Weaver Square opening days)
• Northwich Market regeneration page (£1.8m investment, units 12/13, the line about the existing market staying open)

If you run a business affected by the closure, or you know where a Weaver Square trader has gone, we would like to hear from you.