A MARKET trader who has earned the slogan “what a fair man” is celebrating 60 years in business.

Sid Lewis began selling towels and bedding in 1954 and is still doing a roaring trade on Salisbury’s charter market today.

For two decades Mr Lewis travelled from London to Salisbury market, leaving at 2am to make sure he got to his pitch on time.

In the early 1970s he moved to Bournemouth and gradually took on running markets as well as being a market trader. Mr Lewis is a familiar character to lots of shoppers and used to attract large crowds as he bartered down his own prices.

“It was a bit like a backwards auction”

he said, “Starting at the shop prices, then bringing the price down so people got more and more for their money.”

The sales technique earned him the slogan “what a fair man”.

These days the auctioning has gone but Mr Lewis, who is in his 80s, still comes to Salisbury every Tuesday and Saturday whatever the weather. To celebrate his 60 years on Salisbury charter market, the Mayor of Salisbury Jo Broom and the city clerk Reg Williams presented Mr Lewis with a certificate.

And last Tuesday they reduced his pitch fee to 10 shillings and sixpence – his first ever pitch fee in 1954 – which was kindly paid by Alan Lake, who works on the market, so Mr Lewis enjoyed a free day.