Empty Offices, New Towers Driving Changes at Covent Garden Market

London’s 180-Year-Old Downtown Market is Changing Its Hours in May, Another Sign of the Shifting Nature of the City’s Core.

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The London Covent Garden Market Will Open An Hour Later and Close an Hour Later Each Day in an effort to serve the growing number of downtown residents, manager Amy Shackleton Said.

“With the Shift Downtown of Not As Many Office World But with New Residents Moving in, we really Wanted to look at our hours and How We Can Cater to Those New Residents,” She Said.

“A Lot of People are Looking for Us to Be Open A Little Bit Later Throughout the Week and On Saturdays and Sunday.”

Starting May 1, The Market Also Will Be Closed Mondays.

The Market Was Closed Sunday At One Period During the Covid-19 Pandemic, but this will be the first time, aside from then, that the Downtown Centerpiece Will Be Shut Down One Day of the Week, Shackleton Said.

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The Decision to Close Mondays Came After Speaking With Vendors, She Said.

“Our Vendors Work Seven Days a Week and They Need to have Some of Their Own Time as Well.”

The Market Launched A Survey and Began Consulting ITS Vendors and Other Groups in the Fall in Responsible to the Changes Downtown is Experiencing.

When the new market opened in 1999, on the same site as the original building in 1845, Downtown’s Office Vacancy Rate Stood at 13 per cent. The Core Residential Population was about 2,800.

London’s Downtown Office Vacancy Rate is planned to reach 33 per hundred this year.

Meanwhile, Residential Towers Continue to Rise, with more in the planning internships, and the downtown population is more than 11,000.

Opening at 8 AM for Office Workers and Closing at 6 PM Most Weekdays No Longer Makes As Much Sense, Shackleton Said Tuesday.

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INTEAD, The Market Will Open Daily from 9 am to 7 pm

“We’ve seen very little Activity Coming in 8 am to 9 am” Shackleton Said. “Whhen our doors are closed at 6 pm, by the time (Downtown Residents) Come Home from Work and Come Over to get Something to Make For Dinner, Our Doors Are Closed. We’re hoping that being open unit 7, the residents can get all their needs girl here at the market. ”

The Market also is missing out on an hour of Traffic before events at Canada Life Place and Other Venues, Shackleton Said. Canada Life Place’s Key Tenants, The London Knights, Start Friday Night Games at 7, Drawing Large Crowds Downtown.

“We Missing Out on All of Those Different Events,” Shackleton Said. “We want people to have the opportunity to come through and eat, Grab a Coffee before the game or concert.”

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The Market has 52 Vendors Serving Between 20,000 and 25,000 people at weekend. The Changes in Hours Come as London Embarks On A New Master Plan For Downtown.

The Core’s Population Grew by 12 per cent A Year from 2021 to 2024, and now Sits at 11.376 Residents, Said Barbara Maly, Executive Director of Downtown London.

“We are definitely seeing a change in the demographic of our downtown. We’re Seeing More and More Residential Condos Being Built, With Many more to come, ”She Said.

“At the same time, we also see a return and a resurgence of Office World Coming Back Downtown, we have a full-time basis.”

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The Number of People Working Downtown has grown by Nearly 28 per hundred since the 2021 Pandemic Year, and has Climbed to 40,667, Maly Said.

The Later Hours of the Market Can Help Office Workers As Well, She Said.

“Before they Leave the Downtown and Go Home, they can stop in and buy that that might need for Dinner or the Next Day or their lunch.”

Some Residents and Downtown Workers Initially May Be Unhappy The Market Will Be Closed Monday, Shackleton Acknowledged.

“We’re Still Open Six Days Out of the Week, So We’re Hoping People can get all of their shopping done the days that we are open.

The Monday Closing May Not Affect As Many Workers As in the Past, Because of Hybrid Work, Some Days Spent at Home and Some in An Office, Maly Said.

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Many Hybrid Workers Don’t Come in Mondays or Fridays, She Said.

“I’m sure there will be some impact for some and for others, due to the hours that they keep in their downtown office, it may not have significant impact.”

The New Hours Could Be the First of Several Changes to the Market. An Online Survey for Londoners at Go.marketstudy.ca, is seeking Opinions on Vendors, Activities and Hours.

“The work is still nail. This is just the First Part of the Change, ”Shackleton Said. “These superys are going to be running for the next six to eight months.”

Free parking for one hour daring the week and Two Hours on weekends Will continues, she Said.

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Market Hours Now:

• Monday to thursday: 8 am to 6 pm
• Friday: 8 AM – 7 pm
• Saturday: 8 AM – 6 pm
• Sunday: 11 AM – 4 pm

Market Hours Starting May 1

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday to saturday: 9 AM – 7 pm
• Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

*Free parking for one hour weekdays and two hours on weekends to continue.

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