Chester Market's manager, Adele Thomas, has won NABMA's Large Market Manager of the Year. The market is still 100% let, nearly four years after it opened.

Chester Market’s manager, Adele Thomas, has been named Large Market Manager of the Year by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA), the trade body for the UK’s council-run markets.

She received the award at NABMA’s gala awards dinner in Harrogate, held during the association’s 2026 conference. NABMA’s list of winners was published on 30 September. Cheshire West and Chester Council, which runs the market, announced the win on 13 October.

Why she won

NABMA says the award recognised her “outstanding leadership, commercial performance and her wider contribution to the markets industry”. The judges pointed to three things:

  • the market still trades at 100% occupancy, with every stall let
  • strong footfall, trader confidence and a collaborative culture
  • her willingness to share what she has learned with market operators across the UK and Europe, including hosting visits

The small markets award went to Adam Nichols of South Molton Pannier Market in Devon.

The market she runs

The new Chester Market opened in late 2022 as part of the council’s Northgate development. Its own site says it has welcomed more than 9 million visitors since. It mixes produce and goods traders with global street food stalls and more than 400 seats, and is open six days a week, into the evening.

Councillor Nathan Pardoe, the council’s Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation, said the recognition was “entirely deserved with the success of Chester Market”.

Adele Thomas also manages Winsford Market, where the council says more than £1m is going into refurbishing the building. We covered the plans, and the row over its side door, in our Winsford Market report.

It is not the first time the title has come to the borough. The council says Karen Bates, who manages Ellesmere Port Market and the new Northwich Market at Barons Quay, has also held the Market Manager of the Year title.

What it means for you

  • Chester Market is next to New Market Parking on Hunter Street, CH1 2AR, an 800-space council car park open 6.30am to 1.30am. Directions, opening hours and the trader list are on the market’s site. Parking charges are in our Chester parking guide.
  • Want a stall? With every unit let, the market’s trading page has the details for would-be traders.
  • Shopping with a Chester Gift Card? The market’s site says it is now accepted in the market.