Hull food hall 'forced out' of former Hammonds site, operator claims

The food hall in Hammonds of Hull closed in March

A food hall in a former Hull department store has been "forced out" by its landlord, its operator has claimed.

Artisan Food Hall HoH, which operated out of Hammonds of Hull before closing in March, said it had launched legal action against the building's owners.

The Artisan venue opened in a blaze of publicity in the former House of Fraser department store in December 2021.

JS Land+Capital, the firm which manages the building, declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

The food hall, off Ferensway, shut on 6 March after building owners Redefine Paragon Square Hull terminated the occupancy.

Artisan said it was seeking compensation for financial losses and work it had carried out on the building, which is one of the most prominent in Hull city centre.

A spokesperson for Artisan said: "Our company had no intention of leaving Hull, but have been forced out."

The food hall closed on 6 March

The ground floor food hall featured cafes and bars as well as stalls selling local produce and performances by local musicians.

Artisan said the food hall had been a "huge achievement" which involved renovating the building and employing 150 people.

It had attracted 40,000 customers a week, the spokesperson from Artisan added.

"This business should be open and operating. The building owners have chosen to terminate to achieve vacant possession for their own purposes," they said.

The former department store is one of Hull's most prominent buildings

Redefine Paragon Square Hull owns the freehold of the former department store.

Its Companies House listing shows it is registered in the British Virgin Islands and the sole owner is Mansur Alabrah, a Saudi national.

Hull City Council regeneration portfolio holder Paul Drake-Davis said it had asked officials to set up a meeting with the building's owners for talks on its future.

ResQ, the call centre on the first floor of the former department store, was understood to be running as normal, along with other companies letting office space in the building.