A New Era For New Covent Garden Market As Buyers’ Walk Wholesalers Move Into Completed Block B
- Jan 14
- 2 min read
New Covent Garden Market has marked a major milestone in its long-running redevelopment programme, as wholesalers in Buyers’ Walk completed a swift relocation into the newly finished Block B building over the weekend — reuniting traders in a modern, purpose-built wholesale environment at the heart of London’s fresh produce supply chain.
The move follows the end of trading in the market’s now-vacated original Blocks C and D, bringing an emotional close to a chapter that has served the industry for more than five decades and signalling a clear step forward in the modernisation of the UK’s largest wholesale market.
Inside The New Block B: Bigger, Brighter, Built For Modern Trading
The completed Block B forms the latest finished phase of the market’s full redevelopment and is designed to support more efficient, resilient wholesale operations.
According to New Covent Garden Market, the building measures 205 metres long by 64 metres wide, housing 60 units under roofs reaching 14.5 metres high. The Buyers’ Walk aisle running through the centre spans 6.5 metres, improving flow for customers and traders alike.
Lighting has also been significantly upgraded, with LED lighting reaching 550 lux — almost double the levels in the vacated buildings — enhancing visibility and showcasing produce more effectively during the market’s busiest trading hours.
The facility has been fitted with sprinklers for fire protection, wall and corner checker plates designed to reduce impact damage, and wastewater gulleys installed across flooring expected to last around 15 years, aligning the infrastructure more closely with modern wholesale and food-handling requirements.
A Flexible, Bespoke Set-Up For Traders
Importantly for wholesalers, the new units are not “one size fits all”. Traders have been able to customise layouts to match their operational needs, with a mix of mezzanine storage and offices, false ceilings, roof-height racking and temperature-controlled configurations — giving businesses the ability to present stock and manage logistics in ways tailored to their customer base and product mix.
Part Of A Wider Transformation At Nine Elms
The completion of Block B comes as part of the broader redevelopment being delivered by the Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA), aimed at transforming the ageing 1970s market site into a modern wholesale and food quarter while keeping the market operating throughout.
New Covent Garden Market describes itself as home to around 137 businesses employing roughly 2,500 people, supplying fruit, vegetables and flowers across London and the South East.
With Buyers’ Walk now trading from its latest upgraded home, the market is encouraging customers across the fresh produce and floral supply chain to visit the new building at Nine Elms and experience the updated facility firsthand.
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