KERB and Shaftesbury have announced the opening of a food hall concept in the 19th century Thomas Neal’s Warehouse, a former banana storage building in the heart of Seven Dials, Covent Garden.
KERB’s bricks and mortar debut, Seven Dials Market, will rival the best food halls in the world with its historic West End London location.
Opening in summer 2019, Seven Dials Market will be serving breakfast through to dinner for Seven Dials’ 32 million annual visitors. Spread across two floors, the 22,000 sq ft market will reflect the building’s heritage and bring a taste of modern London to the former independent banana and cucumber warehouse.
London’s greatest food producers will meet under one roof, from renowned street food traders to neighbourhood businesses. The market’s Cucumber Alley will see local businesses stock deli items such as artisan pies and fresh bread, as well as a florist and bookshop.
With KERB’s six-year history incubating London’s best street food start-ups, Seven Dials Market will include a learning space with regular workshops hosted by London’s food entrepreneurs for the local community.
Simon Mitchell, managing director of KERB and curator of Seven Dials Market, said: “We have been seeking a special space in which to launch a destination, world-beating food hall for some time, and there is nowhere better than Thomas Neal’s Warehouse - a former banana warehouse. The iconic building situated in the Borough of Camden - where KERB was founded and is home to many incredible KERB events over the years - is the ideal stage to showcase many of the great food talents London has to offer.
“We’ve worked closely with upwards of 150 brilliant independent food entrepreneurs over the last six years and see Seven Dials Market as the next step for us and them in this journey. Shaftesbury has also embraced our approach to enlivening buildings and the spaces between them, but doing so in a way that creates positive and lasting connections with the local community. Seven Dials Market is going to be something special in the heart of London’s West End.”
RPA Perspective KERB is effectively an incubator for start-ups F&B retailers, helping them grow from concepts to restaurant operators. At the launch the company and Shaftesbury stressed that this would be not be “just another food hall” but something tailored fro the local and visitor catchments.
Tom Welton, executive director at Shaftesbury, added: “We have worked very closely with KERB to help evolve their highly successful offer and approach to create Seven Dials Market. The team has impressed us with their commitment to quality and to ensuring Seven Dials Market reflects the needs of the community, not just visitors. Thomas Neal’s Warehouse is a significant building in Seven Dials that required something special to give it a renewed purpose. KERB has exceeded our expectations on every level with Seven Dials Market.”
Seven Dials Market will be a significant addition to the Seven Dials neighbourhood, which already features a highly regarded and eclectic mix of food offering, ranging from award-winning restaurants and celebrity chef concepts, to innovative start-ups and independent operators, such as St John’s Bakery, Jacob The Angel, The Barbary, Homeslice, 26 Grains, and Neal’s Yard Dairy.
Nash Bond and JLL represented Shaftesbury. James Andrews International acted for KERB.
