Legendary Market Buyer Bob King Retires After More Than Half A Century In Fresh Produce

One of New Covent Garden Market’s most respected fresh produce figures has retired after more than 50 years in the trade.

Image: NCGM

Robert “Bob” King, a long-standing buyer at Le Marché, has brought the curtain down on a remarkable career spanning family wholesale, retail, restaurant supply and some of the most demanding corners of the UK hospitality market.

Bob became a familiar and trusted face to generations of wholesalers, buyers, chefs and suppliers, building his career around one deceptively simple rule: buy the very best available.

His journey into the industry began in his early twenties, following in the footsteps of his father at the family’s wholesale business at Stratford Market. Starting out as a cashier, Bob quickly developed the eye for quality, commercial instinct and deep understanding of relationships that would go on to define his working life.

The family business later moved to New Spitalfields Market, while Bob went on to run his own successful retail operation, King’s, in Romford for 25 years.

As London’s catering sector grew, Bob moved increasingly into supplying restaurants before joining Le Marché at New Covent Garden Market, where he became a key member of the buying team alongside Managing Director Marcus Rowlerson.

His reputation was built not only on his instinct for exceptional produce, but also on trust, reliability and long-standing relationships with growers, wholesalers and customers. For Bob, the formula was straightforward: buy the best produce possible, be trustworthy, get on with people and build strong relationships.

That approach proved invaluable as the hospitality market became ever more exacting. Whether sourcing golf-ball-sized onions, perfectly uniform carrots or specialist lines such as Japanese aubergines, Bob became known for finding the right product in the right quantities for chefs who knew precisely what they wanted.

His working life also reflected the demanding rhythm of the wholesale market. Bob’s day began at 11pm and continued into the early morning, allowing him to select fresh produce before much of the capital had even woken up.

That punishing schedule was sustained by what he described as “two or three little slots of two hours’ sleep every day” — a routine he said had worked for him throughout his life.

At Le Marché, Bob helped supply some of the country’s leading restaurants, hotels, clubs and fine-dining venues. Paying tribute, Marcus Rowlerson said Bob had been by his side throughout, helping serve “nearly all the three Michelin star restaurants” and “nine out of the eleven Michelin three key hotels”, as well as many other high-profile restaurants and clubs.

Bob’s retirement marks the end of an era for New Covent Garden Market and for a style of produce buying built on experience, instinct, trust and an uncompromising commitment to quality.

For many in the trade, he represents the very best of the market tradition: knowledgeable, hardworking, deeply connected and quietly central to the success of Britain’s hospitality supply chain.