Greg visited Tunbridge Wells Farmers' Market to help promote "Love Your Local Market" fortnight.
Greg said:
"Markets can play a vital role in breathing new life into our town centres and high streets, so I'm delighted that this year's Love Your Local Markets fortnight has been such a success.
"Some of this country's leading entrepreneurs have started their careers on market stalls – the next Michael Marks or Alan Sugar could have just started trading in the last 14 days.
"I would urge councils across the country to continue supporting the endeavours of these budding business owners, and communities to love their local markets so they can keep trading."
Many leading retailers started their businesses in local markets including:
- Poundland founder Steve Smith, who worked on his dad's market stall in Bilston in Wolverhampton, selling everything from batteries to household products
- Richard Reed, Adam Ballon and Jon Wright, who first sold their Innocent smoothies on a stall at a music festival in 1999
- Tesco founder Jack Cohen, who began trading in Hackney Market in 1919
- Michael Marks, who started trading on a penny bazaar stall at Kirkgate market in Leeds – he went on to co-found Marks and Spencer