To be miffed about the effects of local marathon on my business?

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

For background, I've got a tiny, new, specialist business that primarily trades once a week at a local specialist market. I'm looking to expand, but the business is so new that's not yet been possible. It's my primary (often sole) source of income. I am not wealthy; my existence is frankly financially precarious.

Perhaps I am being unreasonable, but for the second time in a month there are going to be widespread road closures for a running race. It coincides precisely with my only trading hours for this week, and my business will be cut off by the road closures.

Last time this happened, my takings halved. Thankfully I still broke even (ie was able to pay the market managers for my pitch), but some of the other market traders lost money.

I'm not against people running, and I understand they're raising money for charity, but I can't help but feel upset that it's compromising my ability to make a living yet again, and there is no help whatsoever from the race organisers (either practical or financial), who are presumably making plenty of money from it themselves.

Has the market got a committee? Could they raise the route with the council?

Also you need to get your product into other shops, other markets and online.

If your sole financial existence is based on a market stall for a few hours a week you need to be working out how to expand that out.

What help do you suggest the race organisers offer? Are your customers all unable to shop at your stall unless they park right next to it?

Also, I’m guessing this is your first year trading as presumably last year the same events took place? Did you not factor the annual road closure into your business planning?

Did you not look into this before you took the pitch?

Yes, as mentioned above it's a very (very, very - 2 months old) new business and I'm looking to expand - but there's only so much risk I can take at this stage, when I'm still working out what sells well etc. I'm aware that a high proportion of new businesses fail, and so I don't want an excessive exposure to risk.

Unfortunately it's not possible to send my product through the post for safety reasons, and due to the regulatory environment I don't yet have the paperwork to be able to do B2B sales. Other markets are a work in progress, but the annual events that are the main moneyspinners won't start again until the Spring.

I don't think yabu but I don't think a marathon which could be run for all manner of causes/reasons should be cancelled because of a few business traders.

I think these are all factors business owners have to take into account when setting up shop. It's not as though there's a marathon taking place everyday. So you will have to factor this is in to your business forward planning.

I can't see how the race organisers would subsidise essentially a private business for their potential loses. You say you're a newly formed business so every single penny right now counts and you can't afford to take the hit. So rather than feeling aggrieved at the marathon - factor this into your future expenditure/losses/earnings.

You can expand, but don't let the marathon rain on your parade.

You can't rely on one market stall a week for your income, especially considering closures and decreased footfall over winter/ poor weather.

Are people not out watching the run? Are they aware the market is nearby?

Our business really suffers due to a local cycle race, not financially but getting to the places we need to get to becomes an absolute nightmare and the race organisers don't manage ever to make the accomodations on the day that they promise they will. Vulnerable people are left waiting and our staff get super stressed trying to make it work.

We wouldn't mind so much except for the fact that we are expected to be delighted by the presence of this race! It means nothing to us except inconvenience. One poor business lost an entire day's takings as they were completely inaccessible to customers.

You need to take responsibility for arranging something different on these days. You can check when the races are, and go to a different place to sell those days, surely?

If you make your business dependent on one local market, you'll have problems like this once in a while, you may also (depending on what your product is) find that people buy and then don't buy again, so you exhaust the local market.

There are loads of markets/fairs all over the place all the time - I would make researching this a priority. Otherwise your business will suffer, and you'll find yourself blaming it on a marathon. Which is really daft. Build your business so that you have options and choices.

Part of the role of small business owner is to review the risks to your business. An annual event that wipes out your takings for the week ... is more than a risk

You need a plan to expand your opportunities to generate revenue and not depend on this one place.

From your perspective, you're not being unreasonable. In a wider perspective, big races are big money. Lots of advertising/ promotions for running/ sports/ gyms/ physio type businesses. On balance they are good for the economy as people are paying ££s to do something they could do for free, then spending more on buying kit, physio etc.

It is inconvenient to you and longer term you need a way to be more resiliant to thrive. Any located business has risks be it events disrupting trade, traffic, roadworks etc.

What help do you suggest the race organisers offer? Are your customers all unable to shop at your stall unless they park right next to it?

Timing the race so that the road closures finish before the shops and markets open on a Sunday.
Routing the race away from the city centre - it literally runs a ring around the whole city centre, cutting it off to anyone on public transport or in a car.
My customers arrive by a variety of methods (walking, cycling, driving, public transport) but the race makes driving and public transport impossible, and judging by the impact of the last race a lot of people decide to avoid the city centre for the whole day, and go and do something else.
Covering the market fee for the week would have been an acceptable gesture - it wouldn't cover all the income I lost, but it would at least prevent people from losing money.

Did you not look into this before you took the pitch?
Also, I’m guessing this is your first year trading as presumably last year the same events took place? Did you not factor the annual road closure into your business planning?

I'm new to the area and I was previously unaware of the first race; running isn't my thing. I also had no way of knowing just how bad the impact would be on footfall in advance. You do have to commit to market attendance weekly, you can't just dip in and out, so I can't trade there the rest of the year and just skip race days.

To the poster - you may just have to suck it up. Hopefully next year you’ll be in a stronger position and have more days trading/week.

However discussing this with other market traders etc may help improve matters.

To Humphrey Cobblers - this reads as if you are in the personal care business. Bike races have to have plans for blue light services? You're not far removed from that? (If my assumption is correct)

A bit of naming and shaming in local papers? More aggressive approach during planning stages? Involve police/council in early planning stages.

I was a small, but significant, cog in a large sporting event. My services were borrowedin. I, and others, were involved in an accident, no ones fault but their preparation for such an incident was rather poor. We’d said so at the time but were dismissed somewhat. It gave us much more leverage in the planning, particularly h+s, for the event the following year.

You need to take responsibility for arranging something different on these days. You can check when the races are, and go to a different place to sell those days, surely?

I have to commit to the local market weekly; the terms and conditions mean that you can't just dip in and out as is convenient. There also aren't any alternative markets taking place on the same day that I could get to - I can't yet afford a vehicle for the business.

If you make your business dependent on one local market, you'll have problems like this once in a while, you may also (depending on what your product is) find that people buy and then don't buy again, so you exhaust the local market.

Thankfully it's a consumable product, not crafts or anything like that, and I've already got a little band of regular customers who are coming back week after week.

From your perspective, you're not being unreasonable. In a wider perspective, big races are big money. Lots of advertising/ promotions for running/ sports/ gyms/ physio type businesses. On balance they are good for the economy as people are paying ££s to do something they could do for free, then spending more on buying kit, physio etc.

I'm no economist, but I've always been suspicious of this claim. If they didn't spend the money on kit, physio etc., surely the likelihood is that they'd spend it on other things with other unrelated businesses?

Given that it seems to put non-runners off coming into the city centre that day and spending money, I do wonder if the net effect really is positive. I have a suspicion (albeit not backed up with wider figures) that the money lost by local businesses by trade being affected is at least equal to the amount spent in connection with the marathon.

Yanbu, race organisers don't seem to care much about the community they put their routes through. In 2017 they prevented access into and out of the area I live, no road signs, prevented many people from getting to work, tried to prevent a nurse attending an end of life call, an ambulance from getting to someone and had the cheek to say they put signs up when they hadn't. Nobody had seen any signs saying we were being shut in.

Timing the race so that the road closures finish before the shops and markets open on a Sunday

This already happens in a lot of places and I disagree with it because it forces participants to use cars, because public transport doesn't run early enough.

I find it very odd that having hundreds if not thousands more people in your town doesn't drive more footfall to the market. Especially for a marathon. You will stand and watch a 10k but marathons go on for hours, it's good to get a break and do other things especially if it's not laps and the runners are taken out of town for part of it.

And two races within 2-3 weeks? That seems very odd. Usually one town will only have 2-3 races a year, and well spread out. I know it's the Chester marathon this weekend, but the last race there was in May. Or are you in Leicester?

As for race organisers blocking access, where I live they put up signs 3 weeks before and put flyers though letterboxes of those affected. If it were me, I would go away for the day and at the very least move my car if I needed to go somewhere. In fact we have carnival which I dislike, and I make it a habit to go out for the day so I am not affected. But such events are definitely lucrative for local cafes and pubs etc and other races I know are co-organised with markets and fayres.

Has this/these race/s always happened or have they just been organised in the past 2 months since you opened the business?

If they are long standing or long arranged then you are BU, but if they just sprung them on you with a couple of weeks notice then they are BU.

If they were already planned then hopefully this is a good, relatively cheap lesson to learn about business. If not then again, it could be a good learning exercise. Take the positives and ditch the negatives and you'll be a success in business, I guarantee it. If you focus too much on the negatives and things outside of your control then it may not be for you.

Good luck with it all :)

I’m shocked people think customers will brave the extra traffic and blockages to go shopping. I think race organizers should have to compensate negatively impacted businesses.

And two races within 2-3 weeks? That seems very odd.

Is it? I'm in Cumbria and there are races of some description pretty much weekly between April and October! Not all in the same town, granted, but where I am there are races of some description most weeks in the summer months.

There’s not usually big races in the same location that close together, is this a bit of a one off?

Complain to the council. Two sets of road closures within a month is definitely unreasonable. Two or three times a year is normal and you have to suck it up, but every other week is not okay. Not just for businesses but normal people trying to get on with everyday life.

We were in Yorkshire last week and the cycling was on all week in Harrogate, I did mention to DH how annoying this must be for some local businesses and residents and to check if we want to move when we retire that the house wasn’t on a cycling or running route YANBU

There’s not usually big races in the same location that close together

Depends on the location. Like I said above, we're in the Lake District and races are extremely common and yes, very disruptive to local businesses.