Company hit by Cattle Market fire moves into Victoria Centre

Councillor Trimble welcoming Dawn Lear to the Victoria Centre Market

A company whose building was completely destroyed by a devastating fire earlier this month has moved into the intu Victoria Centre Market.

Anchor Supplies, an Army clothing and equipment business, has accepted a free unit on the market following the huge blaze at the Cattle Market on 4 November.

Nottingham City Council made the offer to affected firms in the days after the fire to take an empty unit for free, or use storage areas underneath the market. The aim was to help them continue to trade in the crucial run-up to Christmas.

The council has been in contact with a number of traders about how it might be able to help in the past few weeks, but Anchor Supplies are the first to move in.

Councillor Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for leisure and culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “I’m really pleased to see that we’ve been able to find Anchor Supplies a spot on the Victoria Centre Market and I hope they can now look forward to a productive Christmas period.

“We were all shocked to see the images from the Cattle Market on the night of the fire and can only imagine the devastation that traders must have felt to see their premises and belongings destroyed or badly damaged.

“The council was keen to help in whatever way it could in the days after. The offer of free units at the market was only a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but we hope that it may prove helpful while businesses get back on their feet.”

Dawn Lear, from Anchor Supplies, said: “We’ve been trading in Nottingham for four decades and it’s hard to express the devastation and helplessness we felt as the fire took hold at the Cattle Market that evening.

“Years of hard work and dedication to our business was being destroyed in front of our eyes, and all sorts of things run through your mind about how you’re going to be able to recover.

“When we heard about the possibility of relocating temporarily to the Victoria Centre Market, we got in touch with the city council to see what was available and how it might fit our requirements.

“We’re delighted to now be set up in the market. We’ve been made to feel very welcome by existing traders and we look forward to welcoming customers to our new home in the run-up to Christmas.”

Close