It seems we are some way away from peak street food market, as Market Halls has announced an £11m fund raise, from OakNorth. This comes not long after it opened a food hall in Brighton – its first location outside of London, where if operates sites at Oxford Street, Canary Wharf, Victoria and Paddington. The Oxford Street one in particular is an absolute gem for when you are taking a load of friends from out of town for a shopping trip to the West End – you find it not far from round the back of John Lewis, which as everyone knows is retail ground zero. In the way that all roads are measured in distance from Charing Cross (genuinely this is true), all shops are measured in distance from John Lewis (genuinely this is not true).
The new money has apparently been earmarked to enable national growth strategy, including the acquisition of new venues across the UK. The firm’s founder and executive director Andy Lewis-Pratt said its Shelter Hall outpost in Brighton was an example of the Market Halls ambition to “create food halls that not only trade well but also act as cultural anchors.”
Market Halls has partnered with some serious street food vendors, including the excellent Le Bab and Black Bear Burger.
So the question has to come which is just how many street food markets can there be? Will there be a point where everyone says “enough already, I want tablecloths and waiter service! wine lists and reservations! expensive bills!” Hmmm. When you put it like that I can see how this sector has considerable legs left in it yet….