If you need any further indication that street food has arrived in a major way in London, then look no further than the next big opening in ultra fashionable Covent Garden. The Seven Dials Market will open later this summer on a 22,000 square feet site, with Kerb, the company behind the launch, promising a dazzling array of street food vendors, live music and special events.
The venture is a coup for the London based street food collective. The company have been making waves in the London mobile food sector since they launched in 2011, however the Seven Dials site marks a huge step forward for Kerb, who until now have specialised in smaller, uncovered sites.
Kerb’s managing director Simon Mitchell said: “We’ve worked closely with upwards of 150 brilliant independent food entrepreneurs over the last six years and we see Seven Dials Market as the next step for us and them in this journey”.
The company have negotiated a long term lease on the property with owners Shaftesbury, who also own large swathes of Chinatown and Carnaby Street. “We believe we will be the West End’s only dedicated covered food market” says Mitchell. “We have long been looking for a permanent home like this” he adds.
The property company are clearly delighted by the prospect of the new opening too. Shaftesbury’s Executive Director Tom Welton called the market site a “significant building that required something special to give it a renewed purpose”. The company clearly feels that the Seven Dials Market fits the bill.
The site of the new market was once home to a banana warehouse, and Kerb intend to continue the tradition with the inclusion of a host of fresh produce stalls alongside the street food vendors.
The company were founded by Petra Barran in 2010. The London based foodie turned entrepreneur had just opened a mobile chocolate vendor, Choc Star, when it occurred to her that she could help street food vendors like herself by “clustering” them into collectives.
Barran began to scout out quality street food vendors and this led to the creation of Eat St. In the early days, the collective would just turn up and start serving at an array of unused sites around London. However, in 2011, the fledging company were invited to “enliven the space” at King’s Boulevard in King’s Cross. This was the group’s first permanent pitch and the development led to the creation of Kerb.
With an ever rotating collection of stalls, alcohol, live music, and regular theme nights, Kerb King’s Cross quickly became one of London’s most popular lunchtime spots. Now Kerb is hoping to recreate that magic in fashionable Seven Dials.
More information on the market can be found here.
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