Last modified on Mon 22 Feb 2021 00.08 EST
Food halls were springing up in town and city centres before the pandemic but now smaller community versions, with an extra dimension such as a cinema screen or co-working space, could be arriving on a high street near you.
There is potential for up to 120 of these community food halls across the UK, a new report has found, as big shifts in consumer spending and attitudes caused by the coronavirus pandemic – including a newfound appreciation of local community – prompt investors to consider piling in.
“These community hubs will give people pride in their town centres again,” said Thomas Rose, a co-founder of the real estate consultancy P-Three, of a new generation of food halls. “This move towards being a loyal supporter of your high street is not going to go away.
A new food hall in Liverpool that’s set to open at Metquarter this Spring is on the hunt for three independent food and beverage operators to sign as tenants.
Claiming to be the largest food hall to open in Liverpool , GPO (which stands for General Post Office - a nod to the former use of the building as Liverpool’s head Post Office) positions itself as a platform to showcase the best up-and-coming food and drink talent in the city .
Local operators to have already secured units include Bullion Craft Bean Café; Restaurant Konjo; Jail Bird Nashville Fired Chicken; Patty B’s Burgers; Thai 25; Dirty Herb Vegan Kitchen; and Bubble Tea.
Dan Whelan
Sheffield-based Milestone Group has signed a 16-year lease for 12,000 sq ft at asset manager Queensberry’s Liverpool scheme, where it will operate a food hall for independent traders.
Known as the General Post Office, the food hall will be located at the Victoria Street entrance to the 130,000 sq ft Metquarter, adjoining the Everyman Cinema and is due to open in spring.
The project will feature a wide variety of cuisines under one roof, championing independent regional operators and offering support and incubation for the city’s emerging food scene, Queensberry said.
Confirmed operators include Bullion Craft Bean Café, Restaurant Konjo, Jail Bird Nashville Fired Chicken, Patty B’s Burgers, Thai 25, Dirty Herb Vegan Chicken, and Bubble Tea. Two additional traders are yet to be announced.
Liverpool s Metquarter to get new food hall in latest overhaul
A series of new tenants have already been confirmed
12:17, 21 JAN 2021
The Metquarter s owners have announced that a new food hall will open in the shopping centre. Here, Boxing Day shoppers queue outside. (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
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