The future of Brixton Market is under threat, say local campaigners, with private equity firms 'circling' the south London institution.
Since 2018, the indoor market — which dates back to the 1920s and is home to a vibrant array of market stalls, bars and restaurants — has been owned by TPG Angelo Gordon and Hondo Enterprises, which put it up for sale last year. Traders went on record claiming the market was turning into a 'ghost town', thanks to increased rents from its landlord. Now, they say the market is being pitched to unnamed private equity firms for £50m in "a plan to drive £1.2 million in increased profits by evicting tenants paying lower rents."
To add to the jeopardy, it's claimed that a planned six-month consultation window has been scrapped, leaving less than a week before bidding for the market closes on Monday 22 June 2026.
In response, the Brixton Traders and Community Association (BTCA), supported by The Advocacy Academy (TAA), has launched a 'Buy Back Brixton' counter-bid, with an initial target of £15m to secure a route towards community ownership of the market. An event is also being hosted on Friday 19 June.
"Brixton Market as we know it could disappear," claim BTCA and TAA. "Local traders actively create the wealth that is then taken out of the community by private interests, and yet are told time and time again that their needs don't matter and that they are replaceable by other businesses/chains who can compete with rising rents, despite being the ones to build this space into what it is.
"We now have two choices. We can either accept that the market will always be run by developers who don't live here, don't have any ties to the community, and only see our people as cash cows — or we do something about it. For us, the choice is clear."
Read more about the campaign on TAA's website.
