Both Tooting and Broadway Market, found near Tooting Broadway tube station, are learning to adapt in the face of what some are calling “Britain’s high street decline”.
Businesses have continued to come and go around them, like Gail’s, the popular London bakery chain, which opened in January after the department store Morley’s closed its doors last year.
The two indoor markets, opened in 1920 and 1926, are no stranger to these fluctuations, historically having to adapt to the opening of new, and sometimes bigger, stores on their doorstep.
Geoff Simmons, a local heritage promoter in Tooting, said: “I’m conscious of the fact there’s always been what I would call predatory stores, you know, right back 100 years ago when this market first opened.”
The indoor market vendors in 2026 are still having to find new ways to connect with customers and “co-exist” with their neighbours.
Leon Morant, owner of the Tooting market stall Juice Hub for over 12 years, said: “I think there is potential for small businesses to thrive alongside the commercial chains.”
Success in the market, and on the high street, may just come down to the people who live and work there – the community.
To learn more about the history and significance of Tooting’s indoor markets, you can join Geoff Simmons on his ‘Magical Markets of Planet Tooting’ walk on the 11th of April. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-magical-markets-of-planet-tooting-guided-tour-tickets-1983389617738?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
Featured Image Credit: Morgan Hayden-Kent
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