Has more than 15000 people signed a petition to save Smithfield Market in London?
Yes, an online petition to save London's historic Smithfield Market from closure has received more than 15,000 signatures, as reported in early December 2024. The campaign, which opposes the City of London Corporation's decision to shut the 900-year-old market, highlights its importance as a vital, "irreplaceable" part of the city's cultural and economic heritage.
The petition was created by former London resident Peter Acton to oppose plans to close Billingsgate and Smithfield markets by 2028 after relocation plans were rejected. He argued that these historic sites are vital to London's food supply and cultural heritage, and that relocating will not suffice.
April 2019: The City of London Corporation announces plans to move Smithfield, New Billingsgate and New Spitalfields markets to one mega-site in Dagenham. November 2024: Dagenham is off! The City of London announces that the markets will still close, but they will NOT now relocate to Dagenham.
When the plan was made public, in April 2019, excitement was expressed about the City of London Corporation, owner of the Smithfield meat market in Farringdon, Billingsgate fish market in Poplar and the New Spitalfields horticultural produce hub in Leyton, consolidating all three in one place.
Is London's 850 year old Smithfield meat market set to close?
Smithfield's days are numbered. In November 2024, the City of London Corporation announced that the ancient meat market will close, along with Billingsgate fish market, as soon as 2028. It initially looked like the end for the markets, but we now know that a new site in the Royal Docks is being mooted.
What Drew Crowds to London’s Smithfield Market for Cut-Price Christmas Meat
Can the general public buy meat from the Smithfield Market?
Anyone can buy meat, poultry and provisions at Smithfield. It is open to the public by Charter: walk through the Market, look around, talk to the salesmen on the front of the stalls.
Morleys closed the store after revealing it could not justify the funds needed to maintain and update it. Instead, Criterion Capital, which owns the Zedwell hotel chain, will convert most of the building into a hotel. Part of the ground floor will be kept for shops, with the retailers to be announced in due course.
But in 2013, WH Group, formerly known as Shuanghui International Holding Limited, one of China's largest meat producers, purchased Smithfield outright for $4.7 billion.
Smithfield was almost a city within a city – and one with its own hours. To give customers time to buy and prepare their meat for sale the same day, the market opened at night.
Buying a flat in London in 2025 presents a balanced market with opportunities, as mortgage rates are stabilising and more housing stock is available, creating a better buyer's market, but affordability remains a challenge and long-term potential for capital growth (though slower than past years) is a key draw, especially with global investment and regeneration continuing. It's a good time to negotiate, but you need strong finances and a focus on long-term value, considering factors like energy efficiency and location.
Notable petitions. As of March 2019 the petition with the most signatures, with 6.1 million signatories, is a petition requesting the revocation of Article 50 and for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union.
The corporation decided in a separate vote last November to permanently close Smithfield and Billingsgate when it pulled the plug on a planned £740m relocation to a new site in the east of the capital at Dagenham, blaming rising costs.
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Smithfield Foods, Inc., is a Chinese-owned pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter and his son, the company is the largest pig and pork producer in the world.
Harrods in London is the most luxurious shop in the UK. This iconic department store is renowned for its world-class customer service and luxury goods. More than 100,000 visitors flock to Harrods every day to experience this famous British institution.
What was Princess Diana's favorite department store?
The late Princess of Wales was reportedly a big fan of JCPenney. The American department store offers clothes and shoes, beauty products, jewelry, and home décor. Royal author Edward White shared this interesting tidbit in Dianaworld: An Obsession, as reported by Marie Claire.
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The Whiteley, a Grade II listed former department store on Queensway, required a transformative redevelopment to reinstate its prominence in West London. The challenge was to sensitively preserve the building's historic façade, iconic clock, and dome while introducing modern residential, hospitality, and retail spaces.
Profitability issues at the end of the decade resulted in John Lewis announcing the closure of five Waitrose shops in 2018 and the sale of a further five Waitrose shops to other retailers in 2019.
