LIRA– Vendors in Lira Main Market are hopeful of making bumper sales following the opening of more entrances into the market to ease accessibility.
Initially, Lira Main Market located in Lira City had 11 entrances but now it has 27 entrances whereby nine have been created by the vendors and six by Lira City Council, which manages the market.
Grace Agum who owns a boutique in the market is now hopeful she will make more sales since her shop can be seen even by the passersby.
“I believe that I will get some money at some point because people are always passing by and asking for the prices of my clothes, the only problem is that people do not have money at this time,” said Agum.
Lira City commercial officer, Richard Okello said the extra entrances have been created to ease access into the market by both the vendors and customers.
Okello added that the new entrances to the market will bring back market vendors who had opted to operate from outside the market after failing to attract customers.
“It is very simple, we want those who left their points of operations to reoccupy them since there is now visibility and accessibility of all corners of the market,” he said.
He further added they created more entrances into the market located on Obote Avenue was a following appeals from the vendors who wanted more customers to visit the market.
“The opening of the access points into the market has been a demand from the vendors and therefore city council found it relevant to do so for the betterment of the businesses,” he added.
Sam Atul, the Lira City mayor said they will create more entrances in the upper part of the market so that customers visit the businesses located there.
“We are going to open more gates, especially from the upper side of the market where the tailors are so that they are easily accessed,” said Atul.
Much as these new entrances have been created into the main market, some vendors are still complaining that they cannot get enough customers to buy their goods because of other vendors who are operating on the market walkway.
Betty Akello who deals in fresh foods said her sales are frustrated by the vendors operating along the market walkway, adding that some of her goods have had to rot due to lack of customers.
“You see, I can stay here for days without anyone buying my products, and some of them like green eggplants lose freshness and can no longer attract customers,” Akello said.
Sarah Apio who sells silver fish appealed that all vendors to operate within the market, saying most customers do not enter the market after buying goods outside of the market.
“Let all vendors be brought back into the main market so that we can know where the challenge of sales is coming from,” said Apio.
The Shs 28 billion market was officially opened in February 2015 by President Yoweri Museveni. It was built under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme Project 1 [MATIP-1] run by the Ministry of Local Government, with the funding from the African Development Bank.
https://thecooperator.news/cooperative-societies-in-lira-main-market-to-form-union/
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