New Covent Garden Market marked a significant milestone this month as 15 traditional wholesalers reunited on the “new and improved” Buyers’ Walk.
The opening on 12 January brings the wholesale section of Block B fully into operation within a market that is now four-fifths redeveloped.
The completed block measures 205 metres long and 64 metres wide, housing 60 units beneath 14.5-metre-high roofs, with a 6.5-metre-wide Buyers’ Walk running the full length of the central aisle.
According to Tony O’Reilly, project director at Covent Garden Market Authority, the new environment represents a step-change for buyers and traders alike, offering clearer sight lines, improved access and greater flexibility.
“Each trader has been free to kit out their units in whatever way best suits their business”, O’Reilly said. “So, there is a mix of mezzanines for storage and office space, false ceilings and roof-high racking in temperature-controlled units that give them all the freedom to showcase their product and run their operations in their own way, to suit their product and customer profiles.”
The project director said the development had been constructed with sustainability and safety and the forefront, and design considerations, such as resin floors, mean it is easier to clean and maintain.
“Like everyone else associated with the market, I’m sad to see 50 years of fantastic and storied history come to an end,” O’Reilly added. “However, what we’ve built here has the potential to make a real difference to the tenants of this market as they continue to adapt to the changing competitive marketplace over the next few decades.”
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