New city centre food hall ‘will be something really special’
DYNAMIC: An interior designer sketch of the new HoH Food Hall
Visitors to the eagerly anticipated HoH Food Hall are being told to expect a vibrant mix of dining, organic grocery, retail, music and culture when it opens this summer.
The concept aims to support local producers, growers, makers and bakers, and has been curated by food and beverage expert Des McDonald to deliver a dynamic and unique experience direct to the high street.
The landmark site was formerly a House of Fraser department store but has been empty since 2018. Development company RoK Operations realised its potential and has been working to revolutionise the space through an ambitious refurbishment and regeneration plan.
Mr McDonald, of Des McDonald Associates, has been appointed to help drive forward the food hall and artisan market project.
He has extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, including an impressive track record of developing, opening and operating over 150 restaurants, bars, cafes and coffee shops.
Mr McDonald has the distinction of having opened one of the original Ivy restaurants, Soho House and the world-famous Annabel’s nightclub, and has an impressive portfolio of restaurants across America, Europe and the Middle East.
He said: “Knowing Yorkshire’s reputation for great quality produce and discovering the local community’s passion for food, I was excited at the concept to regenerate an iconic city centre building into something completely unique.
“Since working with the team, we’ve developed something really special. We’ll be working with around 100 partners, vendors and suppliers and hope to be creating around 400 new jobs.”
VIBRANT: The new HoH Food Hall will open in the summer
Mr McDonald and his team will take up residence in new offices in Hull city centre and will be looking to connect with independent vendors, both locally and nationally.
With the HoH Food Hall development set for a summer launch, the RoK Operations team have since leased two further units in Worcester and Cheshire.
Eann Ramsey-Smith, Project Manager at RoK Operations, said: “The high street is undergoing major changes, with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating huge shifts in the way people shop.
“The food hall platform offers local producers the ability to plug and play, creating a diverse offer at each location, where our focus is on the local supply chain, local labour, zero waste, local partnerships and the ability to create a vibrant community in our buildings.
“We’re developing a unique concept of artisan food halls, which focus on visual production.
“Combining food retail, hospitality and culture, all of our food halls will be independent and completely unique - we don't have a cookie-cutter approach.”
Jeremy Seymour, JS Land & Capital (Global) Ltd, the agent on behalf of the building’s landlord, said: “Our collaborative approach is at the heart of everything we do.
“The partnership between landlord, tenant, operators and the local community is the bedrock of everything we are determined to achieve.”