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Already one of London's busiest retail centres, Romford attracts more than 425,000 visitors each week. The town centre offers the best of both worlds as it has some of the UK's biggest brands and high street stores but also offers a mix of locally owned family businesses and a history of trade dating back 760 years to the opening of Romford Market. Beginning as a sheep and cattle market in 1247 and remaining on the same spot ever since, Romford Market is integral part of the town centre. Many of the market traders are from the local area or East London and some families have been trading in the market for generations. The town centre also has family owned businesses which have maintained a healthy trade alongside some of the biggest retail stores in the UK. There are more than 400 shops, cafés and restaurants, a cinema complex and bowling alley all in an area of 200,000 square metres and at night Romford has a thriving night time economy and is a popular nightspot. 20.10.11
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Shopping centres in Romford – the Mercury Mall, the Liberty and the Brewery - have joined forces with Havering Council to launch an advertising push to promote Romford as a retail centre in light of new competition.