The Melton Mowbray Livestock Market adjacent to Stockyard is the largest livestock market in a market town in the UK, serving around 2,700 farmers and handling livestock sales worth approximately £75 million per year.

With year-on-year growth of over 50 percent and more than 120 people employed directly and indirectly, the market remains a major economic driver and a cornerstone of Melton’s rural and agri-food economy.

The site is already home to flagship tenants including Round Corner Brewing and Feast and the Furious Smokehouse, helping to showcase the quality, ambition and character associated with Melton Mowbray. Round Corner Brewing is an award-winning producer with over 75 national and international brewery awards for excellence, employing 22 people, including apprenticeships and business development executives, and with plans to triple its growth over the next 36 months. Feast and the Furious Smokehouse has secured 18 Great Taste and local business awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year, and employs 12 local people. Together, these businesses demonstrate the site’s ability to support high‑performing food and drink enterprises. This is complemented by an established and growing programme of markets, festivals and events that continues to attract visitors and build momentum around Stockyard as a destination.

What is happening at Stockyard?

Stockyard is receiving a programme of redevelopment designed to bring new life to this historic space and expand its offer. The Trader Hall, the site’s market hall, will be renovated, while the Square, currently used for car parking, will be transformed into an outdoor multi‑purpose events space. Together, these elements will play a key role in supporting the site’s growing events programme.

The planned transformation of the Banqueting Suite and Exhibition Hall into a new Culture House reflects an area of increasing interest and opportunity for the town, and will play a central role in supporting Melton’s aspirations of becoming Town of Culture 2028.

The redevelopment will also introduce two new food production hubs designed to support business growth and food innovation. Another key part of the site is the Anchor Building, which will offer flexible spaces for a range of different uses. The ground floor will provide space for exhibitions, while the middle floor will accommodate education providers, local businesses and food producers.

The top floor of the Anchor Building is intended to become a versatile event space for conferences and celebrations, with scope for workshops and training sessions that support skills development and enterprise. We also aspire to include a fully fitted podcast studio on this floor, alongside an outdoor terrace overlooking Stockyard. This facility would give local businesses and creatives the opportunity to broaden their networks and reach audiences beyond the immediate locality.

Along Nottingham Road, existing buildings that are currently not in use are intended to be brought back into use as four modern, energy-efficient units for a creative hub for young start-ups across the region. Occupants are currently being proactively sought to rent these units, to provide services that strengthen the offer on site, including digital, marketing and business support, helping to build on what is already a collaborative business community.

How will Stockyard benefit Melton town centre?

Stockyard will play a key role in the regeneration of Melton town centre, increasing the town’s overall appeal by generating sustained visitor activity that extends beyond the site itself. Retail impact assessments have shown that the development is designed to enhance the town’s appeal, and events in the town centre are already creating positive spill-over into the Stockyard, particularly at Christmas and the 40s Weekend. During the food festivals and ‘Pots in the Pens’, established businesses have reported increased visitor traffic. Hospitality, in particular, has seen clear benefits, demonstrating the wider economic value of the regeneration.

This regeneration impact is reinforced through strong partnership working. The Place Partnership, alongside the council, brings together key town centre stakeholders, including Melton Town Estate and the Business Improvement District (Melton BID). Major events delivered by the Town Estate and Melton Food Partnership continue to grow in scale and increasingly operate across both Stockyard and the town centre, resulting in significant shared footfall and a more connected and resilient town centre economy.

Why is Stockyard a strong location for food and drink businesses?

Stockyard is a strong location for food and drink businesses because it sits at the centre of Melton’s food story and is close to an established community of producers. As part of the Rural Capital of Food, it offers the advantage of being near a place that celebrates the farm-to-fork journey and aligns with Melton’s reputation for quality food and drink. Businesses based here, or operating nearby, can benefit from that network and from the identity of the place itself. There is also wider value in the growing Food Producers Network, consisting of over 100 food producers and businesses from across the region, helping local businesses collaborate, share their journeys and build their networks. Together with the support intended through the Nottingham Road creative units, this creates a broader support ecosystem where food businesses can access the support they need to help them flourish and create opportunity for local residents.

Why does Stockyard matter for wider business investment?

The Stockyard is helping to create a destination that generates visitors, activity and commercial energy, contributing to the regeneration of Melton as a place to invest. The opportunity is not limited to food businesses, and for a wide range of organisations, being in close proximity to Stockyard offers advantages linked to a developing site with growing momentum. Its location next to PERA Business Park, home to more than 100 companies and new on-site leisure facilities, further strengthens the area’s appeal, supporting recruitment and collaboration and creating a broader business ecosystem. Together, the scale of investment at Stockyard and elsewhere across the borough amplifies the profile of Melton, increasing awareness and creating opportunities to raise the town’s visibility, confidence and overall economic noise.

Why invest in Melton Mowbray?

Melton Mowbray is a place to invest because it combines heritage, growing visitor appeal and clear ambition, with Stockyard playing an increasingly important role in that story. For businesses entering at this stage, there is a distinct advantage in being part of the town’s evolution early, with lower investment costs per square metre and the benefits of significant public and private investment already underway. This includes major infrastructure improvements such as the Northern Distributor Road, which is designed to improve connectivity around the town, unlock new development sites, and support planned housing growth, strengthening access to Melton and the wider road network.

This enhanced accessibility is already helping to attract and retain investment, with established employers such as Saint-Gobain and Toyota choosing to expand their footprint locally. Their continued commitment reflects confidence in the area’s long-term prospects and demonstrates how investment in infrastructure, alongside housing delivery, is creating the conditions for business growth and making Melton Mowbray an increasingly attractive destination for inward investment.

Taken together, Stockyard and Melton Mowbray offer businesses the chance to be part of a destination for enterprise, food production, events and culture. As development continues, the regeneration of the site is set to deliver long‑term benefits both on site and across the town, amplifying Melton’s appeal and strengthening its position as a confident and competitive place to invest.