Box Park Shoreditch is set to close after 12 ‘unforgettable years’
Boxpark is set to close its Shoreditch site at the end of this summer – and hopes to give its customers an ‘unforgettable farewell’ before relocating to Camden Town and Liverpool Street.
The site in Shoreditch has been open since October 2011 and has provided a platform for over 250 independent businesses. It contains a combination of food stalls, clothing brands and artist studios as well as spots to sit down and have a drink whilst playing a game of bingo and listening to live DJ sets.
Boxpark has also attracted an average of 1.25 million visitors per year.
Local customer Leo Skotchins said ‘Boxpark Shoreditch feels iconic to this area, so it will be strange not to have it here anymore. However, I’m sure it will be just as successful at the new locations and I’m [kinda] excited to see how the atmosphere will change when it’s in a new place.’
The two new locations for Boxpark will be Liverpool Street and Camden Town. It’s not clear whether the same traders will operate in the new Boxpark locations.
Its closure comes after landlords Bishopsgate Goodsyard secured planning permission to redevelop the 4.5-hectare site into a new residential, retail, and leisure district.
Chief executive of Boxpark Simon Champion said Boxpark will return to Shoreditch ‘as soon as we find the right opportunity’ and is already talking to stakeholders about a ‘new offering’ for Shoreditch customers.
He said: ‘Whilst our time in our current site at Shoreditch is ending, we look forward to celebrating all that we have achieved at the venue over the summer.
‘In the remaining time we have left in Shoreditch, we will work as hard as possible to support our team with the transition and aim to relocate our 30+ tenants and their staff to our other sites, whilst giving all our wonderful customers an unforgettable farewell.’
When the Bishopsgate development was initially proposed over a decade ago in 2010, there was a backlash from the community. The project underwent numerous revisions in the face of public opposition. It wasn’t until late 2020 that the project received formal planning approval.
The redevelopment plans sparked debates about the impact on the local community, with some residents concerned about the changes it might bring to the area’s character and affordability, particularly the precedence of height.
As Boxpark prepares to move on, the ongoing transformation of Shoreditch, exemplified by the Bishopsgate Goodsyard, continues to shape the narrative of progress and preservation in this part of London.
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