Dozens of traders say their livelihoods are being destroyed as they are being kicked out so a high-end supermarket can move in
“I think it’s appalling, it’s disgusting,” Dawood Gordon says as he gazes across the eclectic mix of shops in West London’s Queensway Market. “These people have families, how are they going to pay their rent? You won’t find another place like this. It bothers me that the landlord is so heartless to go ahead with this.”
On an unseasonably warm April afternoon traders are using brief gaps in service to slowly pack their belongings into cardboard boxes. Two weeks ago they were handed notices to quit the premises due to plans from landlords Baine Capital to turn the site into a Whole Foods – an upmarket chain owned by Amazon.
The letter was met with shock and disbelief from more than 50 business owners who were told they would have to leave by April 23. Many of these traders see it as a gentrified move to replace one of Westminster’s last working-class community spaces with an international company which can afford a higher rent.
A short stroll in from the market’s entrance Fida Aslam has already taken the decision to close her Malaysian café Kampong Bites. Boxes filled with plates, bowls and cooking utensils can be seen stacked high against the wall as she makes plans to leave the site within a fortnight.
“This is heartbreaking for me,” she tells MyLondon. “I started this business from my own kitchen, and then slept in my car for four months after I moved here to get it up and running. They should have given us more notice, I’ve spent £30,000 to make it a nice place and now it’s gone.”
Fida has run her café in Queensway Market for 18 months and says she was quickly able to feel welcome by traders and customers alike. “The market is very unique, we’re like a family here,” she continues.
“Since I opened my café here I don’t need to go anywhere else; there’s a hair salon, and somewhere you can buy clothes, shoes and food. I’m going to miss this place so much.”
Baine Capital has offered all traders a brief stay of execution for one more month after April 23, while some will be allowed to stay for four if they agree to move pitches to the northern end of the market due to shut at a later date. Despite this, many have decided to cut their losses and leave before the deadline.
Zafar Odinaev, the owner of restaurant Uzbek Corner which has been a key attraction for Queensway Market customers since 2016, has found the imminent closure particularly hard to accept. He said: “When we opened 10 years ago we were the only Uzbek restaurant in the UK .To lose what we built over 10 years in just four weeks is awful.
“I think we’ll lose £100,000 in total from shutting and having to find another place. I’ve been looking around and every new site is looking for a deposit of £50,000 or £60,000. We’ve built up a loyal customer base here and our customers really want us to stay.”
A community campaign has been launched in an attempt to save the market from being transformed into a Whole Foods. The petition has received almost 600 signatures in three days as supporters hope to resist the “corporatisation of community spaces”.
Vito di Bari, who opened his LGBT boutique in Queensway Market seven years ago, agrees with the assessment that diverse spaces are being nudged out by private capital. “This will destroy families and livelihoods, and they simply don’t care,” he tells MyLondon.
“So many people rely on this place. I have nowhere to go and have invested all of my money into my business. I’ve lost my smile. I’m very worried and upset about what’s happening.
“LGBTQ+ people come here from across London because you can’t get a lot of these products from other shops. This is a similar story for lots of other businesses here who are relied on so much by their customers.”
As spokesperson for Whole Foods said: “We can confirm we have signed a lease as a tenant with Bourne Capital, but we don’t have any additional updates at this time.”
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