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BaDC-1727 Retford Buttermarket Food Hall Operator Opportunity

Bassetlaw District Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

30 Oct 2026 at 14:58

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

22 Oct 2026 at 09:49

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

20 Oct 2026 at 15:38

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

16 Oct 2026 at 12:48

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Bassetlaw District Council is seeking an operator to run an indoor street-food market in the Buttermarket, on the ground floor of Retford Town Hall, with independent access from Town Hall Yard and direct access to Market Square in Retford. The operator will manage delivery, vendors and commercial performance, and will trade from the premises while working with the Council on the space’s final design and fit-out. The roughly 260 m² venue is intended to accommodate food businesses and an inclusive communal area for events. The scheme aims to support independent and start-up food businesses, broaden the food offer and help increase town-centre footfall and evening and weekend activity. The work is food-hall operation and venue management services (CPV 79993000).

The Council invited tenders through a competitive flexible procedure. Attendance at one supervised site visit was mandatory to qualify: visits were scheduled for 4 and 9 November 2026 at Retford Town Hall. The deadline for questions was 20 November 2026 at 17:00, and tenders were due by 27 November 2026 at 12:00. Initial tenders are assessed on quality (80%) and price (20%); up to three bidders proceed to a presentation, which contributes 10% to the final score, with the initial price and quality scores contributing the other 90%. The anticipated contract period runs from 4 January 2027 to 3 January 2032. The Council seeks a five-year lease with a break at year three and a possible further five-year extension, subject to performance and Council discretion. The stated procurement value is £18 million excluding VAT (£21.6 million including VAT).

This opportunity suits an experienced food-hall or hospitality operator able to take responsibility for the whole operating model: recruiting and managing vendors, delivering day-to-day operations and achieving sound commercial performance. The successful operator will need to work collaboratively with the Council during design and fit-out, shaping a venue that supports a range of catering businesses and community events. Suppliers with experience of supporting independent or start-up food businesses, developing diverse and affordable food offers, and attracting customers into town centres may be well placed to meet the Council’s objectives. The venue is intended to serve local residents and visitors and contribute to the evening and weekend economy. The opportunity is marked as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises; bidders must attend a supervised site visit to qualify.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

BaDC-1727 Retford Buttermarket Food Hall Operator Opportunity

Notice Description

Bassetlaw District Council (the Council) wishes to invite tenders to appoint a suitably experienced operator to occupy and operate an indoor street food market within the Retford Town Hall's Buttermarket. The operator will be responsible for all aspects of delivery, vendor management and commercial performance, in return for the right to trade from the premises and an opportunity to influence the final design and fit-out of the space. The Council's objectives in appointing an operator are to: * Animate and activate Retford town centre * Support independent and start-up food businesses * Provide a high-quality, diverse and affordable food offer * Increase footfall and dwell time * Support the evening and weekend economy * Deliver social and economic value for the local area The Buttermarket is anticipated to be available to the operator for commercial operation from Winter 2026/Spring 2027 subject to detailed design agreement and construction programme. The Council envisions the successful provider from this tender to join as a partner through this design process. This interim period for design and Council construction will ensure the final installation is fit for purpose and encourages optimal commercial operation for the appointed end user. Location Located on the Market Square, Retford Town Hall is well positioned to amplify the offerings of the town, however, the site is currently greatly underutilised, and its facilities require significant modernisation. The Buttermarket is the ground floor premise of the wider Retford Town Hall with its own level and independent access along the Town Hall Yard and direct access to the Market Square. There is ample area (~260m2) to enhance this space to provide a series of catering focused opportunities while also creating an inclusive communal space, designed to host events that appeal across all age groups. According to a recent market summary of Retford undertaken by CACI, the town boasts a sizable catchment area with a total market potential of PS122.1 million. Additionally, Retford enjoys a high catchment market share of 16%, indicating a strong local spend for retailers and food businesses opening in the town centre. The total market potential for catering alone is PS30.1 million. The overall spend remains below the regional average, indicating a need for Retford to build up a critical mass of retail and leisure offer to increase its attractiveness. Annual household spent on catering is PS2,060 which is 5% lower than the East Midlands average and spend on alcohol on premises is 10% below the regional average demonstrating there is available spend for these types of offers not currently being realised in Retford. Mandatory Site Visit Attendance at a mandatory supervised site visit is a condition of participation in this procurement process. The site visit will take place at: Buttermarket, Retford Town Hall, DN22 6DE Site visits will be conducted on 4th and 9th November 2026. Bidders must register in advance to attend the site visit. Instructions for registering and arranging attendance are set out in Section 7.2 of this document. Only bidders who have successfully registered and attended a site visit in accordance with these instructions will be eligible to submit a tender. Please note: The Council reserves the right to eliminate bids from the procurement process (without evaluation), that are received from any potential supplier that has not attended a site visit. Full details of the opportunity and the Council's requirements are set out in the tender documents. Term The Council would optimally seek a 5-year lease with a break clause at Year 3 and the opportunity to extend a further 5 years at year 5 (3+2+5 year agreement). Procurement Procedure This is a competitive flexible procedure. Initial tenders will be scored based on price quality as out lined in document 1. Up to the top 3 bidders will then be invited to a presentation stage which will be scored out of 100 (the scoring for which is in appendix 5). The final tender score will be calculated based on the weightings of the price and quality score from the previous round making up 90% of score and the presentation will form the remaining 10%.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Any proposed extension is subject to satisfactory performance by the supplier and in accordance with the Council's business requirements. Please note: that extension options are not in any way guaranteed and at the sole discretion of the Council.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07897c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/103315-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79993000 - Building and facilities management services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£18,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£18,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Oct 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
27 Nov 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 3 Jan 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Bassetlaw District Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WORKSOP
Postcode
S80 2AH
Postcode Area
Sheffield
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF15 North Nottinghamshire
Delivery Location
TLF15 North Nottinghamshire
Local Authority
Bassetlaw
Electoral Ward
Worksop South
Westminster Constituency
Bassetlaw

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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