Market Halls reports record festive period

One of the UK's largest food hall operators has reported record Christmas trade for 2023. 

The Gees Court-backed company Market Halls claims that like-for-like sales were up 55% in December, boosted by large corporate bookings, an appearance on the BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals and a Christmas campaign with a wealth of booking options, including food and drink packages, live music, sushi rolling masterclasses and private dining options. 

The group, which operates three sites in London – Victoria, Oxford Street and Canary Wharf – doubled the number of booked guests through its doors. 

Sales were further bolstered through the creation of bespoke Christmas dishes and private hire of spaces, such as the Winter Roof Gardens at Market Halls Victoria. 

Andy Lewis-Pratt, CEO of Market Halls, comments: "We've had a truly excellent festive period and we're delighted to have seen such phenomenal growth on last year. It's great to see demand for the food hall experience at an all-time high. It goes without saying, [but we offer] a huge well done to all of our teams working so hard over this time and for their part in delivering these amazing results. It really sets us up for another year of ambitious growth."

Market Halls has plans for expansion, looking to develop new venues as well as acquire existing businesses in a market ripe for consolidation. The goal is to open two to three Market Halls sites per year over the next five years in major cities and regional hubs across the UK. Target cities include Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.