Traders in Brixton have come together to form a new association – months after local business owners claimed they had been ‘left in the dark’ over the owner’s decision to place Brixton Market on sale.
Organisers said the association, made up of traders in Brixton Village and Market Row, would help businesses overcome the challenge presented by the cost of living crisis by providing a forum for them to work together.
Last year, traders told the News they ‘had not been told’ that Brixton Market had been put up for sale for the reported price tag of £80 million, and had to ‘read it in the news like everyone else’.
Brixton Market consists of three arcades: Reliance Arcade, Market Row and Brixton Village.
In 2018, the market was sold to Hondo Enterprises, a property company headed by Texan developer and DJ Taylor McWilliams.
It is currently being marketed by Savills and Bruce Gillingham Pollard. They have been instructed to find a buyer for the freehold and part leasehold for the market of shops and restaurants.
On Thursday (26 June) the new association met for the first time to elect a chair and an executive committee to lead the new community group.
It aims to raise awareness of issues in the markets, hold events, share information on local decisions and opportunities, and share ideas and challenges of running a business in a supportive network.
Co-chair of the trade association, Kat Miles, said that for too long traders had been “in competition with one another”, adding: “In reality, the only way we can survive the challenging environment of the cost of living crisis is if we are all to work together.
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“The only way the market can rise from the slump it is in is if we all work together, listen to each other, and speak as one. “
Hiba Ahmad, Community Director at The Advocacy Academy, a local youth charity based in the market, said: “The association is an exciting and much needed new chapter in the history of Brixton.
“It is always so great to see communities come together to organise for their collective interest, and to be here today and hear the traders speak of a positive and bright future has been so inspiring.”
Brixton Village and Market Row Traders Association is accepting applications from traders across Brixtons markets and will be holding meetings regularly to come up with commonly faced questions and problems in the market.
