From Spring 2018, Market Halls, a group of UK-based, community-minded property investors and restaurateurs, will be redefining the British concept of food halls and turning unloved public spaces with special architectural or historic interest, public again. With three major central London launches secured for this year, including a site which will become the largest food hall in the country, and a further three openings in London and numerous regional launches to be announced in 2018, Market Halls is set to make an unprecedented mark on the UK's dining scene. 

Market Halls is headed up by CEO Andy Lewis-Pratt, a former property investor and philanthropist. Simon Anderson, an entrepreneur and the restaurateur behind London's Pitt Cue Co, joins him as Director of Restaurants and Operations. Together they have spent the past year visiting sites around the world including New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon and the UK to ensure that their food halls will be the most significant and exciting the country has ever seen.

2018 will see the rebirth of three abandoned iconic landmarks in London into permanent food halls, with Market Hall's award-winning architects, FaulknerBrowns, lovingly restoring the buildings to their former glory.

MARKET HALL FULHAM – SPRING 2018

Market Hall's first site will be housed in the ornate and well-preserved entrance hall of the Edwardian Underground station in Fulham Broadway, which has retained the former ticket hall from the original 1880 station. Opening with ten kitchens, one bar and seating for 180.

MARKET HALL VICTORIA – SUMMER 2018

Market Hall will be transforming the arcaded bays of Victoria's Terminus Place with their Edwardian Baroque exterior into a three story market hall. Since 1909, the space has acted as a shopping arcade, a restaurant and the superclub Pacha. Opening with fourteen kitchens, three bars and seating for 300.

MARKET HALL WEST END – AUTUMN 2018

Market Hall's flagship venue will be situated just off Oxford Street in part of the former BHS building and will feature a mix of local producers, retailers, restaurants, street food vendors, four bars, event spaces and a demo kitchen. Market Hall West End will be the largest food hall in the UK and its opening will coincide with the planned pedestrianisation of Oxford Circus.

“Food halls are nothing new of course, but we want to create permanent dining hubs that work for the community, something we haven't seen yet in the UK. The majority of buildings we are working with were originally designed as bustling cultural or commercial hubs, but for whatever reason have been lying empty. We wanted to bring these sites back to life and make them useful spaces for the community, places that cater for locals, workers, families and visitors alike.” Andy Lewis-Pratt

Whilst every Market Hall will be entirely unique, each will be curated to showcase the best food and drink an area has to offer, in permanent and covered locations. From the general aesthetic of the building to the choice of the traders, each Market Hall will feel connected to its area. The team will be working with leading restaurants, new talent, small businesses and local suppliers, engaging with neighbourhood restaurants and chefs. Each venue will be designed to integrate with the local community through events programmes and schools outreach. The sites will be as environmentally sound as possible with plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery, replacing the disposable tableware that have become synonymous with street food.

“We want the traders to retain the sense of individuality and autonomy that they've achieved from owning their stand-alone food business, so are encouraging them to be innovative and allow their identities to shine through. Food is the new rock and roll and we're providing the perfect stage.” Simon Anderson

The Team

ANDY L EWIS-PRATT

Andy Lewis-Pratt, CEO of Market Halls has over 35 years' experience in the property, retail and leisure sector. His expertise ranges from launching and advising startups to serving as the MD of an FTSE 250 company, CEO of a retail and property fund and non-executive director for numerous retailers.

In 2000 Andy created Xscape in Milton Keynes, a 500000 sq ft indoor sports and leisure venue, featuring indoor snow slopes, climbing walls, bowling lanes and a multi-screen cinema alongside numerous shops and restaurants.

He assembled a team which developed and operated two further Xscapes in Leeds and Glasgow, which remain highly successful destinations to this day.

In 2005 Andy co-founded and was the chairman of a revolutionary style charity, 'World against Malaria'. Since inception it has raised 140 million dollars, supplying 61 million mosquito nets worldwide, saving millions of children's lives. Give well voted it the best charity in the world for 5 consecutive years.

SIMON ANDERSON

Simon Anderson, Restaurants and Operations Director of Market Halls, is a serial entrepreneur with success across the food and beverage industry and a background in marketing and advertising.

Simon is most well known for his role at Pitt Cue, one of the UK's most talked about food trucks which started on London's Southbank. Pitt Cue Co matured into a small bricks and mortar site in Soho, winner of best new restaurant in the Zagat awards and infamous for its long queues. It has now grown into a larger restaurant, bar and brewery in Devonshire Square. Alphabeta, Simon's on-site brewery is growing from strength to strength and is currently supplying beer to restaurants and bars across London, including The Ned. Simon previously owned the awarding winning Albion pub in Islington.

Before finding his true calling with food, Simon forged a successful career in digital advertising founding one of the leading agencies Unique Digital in 1998, which he sold to a division of WPP in 2006.

ENDS

PR CONTACT:

alice@tablepr.com, isabel@tablepr.com

simon@markethalls.co.uk

markethalls.co.uk