A newsstand that has been serving famous faces and everyday Londoners for 36 years is closing down tomorrow after being priced out by the most unlikely of landlords – Sadiq Khan.
For more than three decades, Brixton News has sold newspapers and refreshments to passengers at Brixton Underground station in the heart of a neighbourhood famed for its community spirit and hard-edged resilience.
But the kiosk is closing on Friday after owners Pritesh and Piyush Patel were told to pay more than double the rent to keep it going – which they could not afford.
The unit is owned by Places for London – part of Transport for London, of which Mr Khan is chair. It insists that the new rate is fair.
But the kiosk’s closure has devastated locals including celebrity food critic Jay Rayner, who has been a regular at the stand for years. Other fans include actors Mark Rylance and James Nesbitt, and music journalist Miranda Sawyer.
Sharing a photo of himself with Pritesh, Rayner wrote on Instagram: ‘We’re smiling, but it’s a very sad moment.
‘Next week, after 36 years at Brixton tube, Pritesh is closing what he thinks is one of the very last if not the very last classic newsstands in a central London tube station.
‘Transport for London basically put them in a financial position where they had to surrender their lease. I know what the new rent in this space will be and I would be very surprised if any business can make a go of it.’
Mr Rayner, who was the Observer’s food critic for more than 25 years, said the kiosk’s loss is particularly galling because it offered ‘easy access to a glorious multitude of print’ – in the form of magazines and newspapers from across the world.
Pritesh Patel, proprietor of Brixton News, says he has been ‘priced out’ by Places for London, whose ultimate boss is Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
Pritesh Patel with food critic Jay Rayner, who took to Instagram to pay tribute to his decades of work in the kiosk
For more than three decades, the kiosk has sold all manner of refreshments and magazines. Mr Rayner says its loss will deny locals easy access to new printed media
‘This kiosk is where I always bought my copy of Private Eye,’ he added. ‘They sold loads of them. God I’ll miss it. And thank you Pritesh and your team for all your service.’
Pritesh and his brother founded Brixton News in 1990 and it quickly became a beloved staple of the local area, located just inside the station and a stone’s throw from Electric Avenue.
Aside from selling a multitude of magazines and newspapers, the kiosk has become a source of help and kindness for locals.
Pritesh recalled taking in wallets and keys for friends and relatives to pick up later, and topping up Oyster cards for locals who prefer the personal touch over a faceless ticket machine.
But two years ago, Places for London got in touch and said the kiosk would be merged with an adjoining office to create a larger space.
Their £40,000 annual lease would, they were told, triple to £120,000. It was later reduced to £85,000 – still more than double the current rent.
Pritesh says he had been game for the revamp to create a larger space but ultimately had to decline, telling MyLondon he and his brother had been ‘priced out’.
Mr Patel added: ‘TfL refused to renew our lease because they want to redevelop themselves. We would never be able to afford the money they’re asking for.
‘It’s really sad, you know? We came here when I was in my 20s and I’ll be 60 this year. I’ve gotten to know so many customers, their lives, their children.
‘I’ve been getting upset recently because a lot of them are showing us so much love. I think most people expected us to be here for another 20 years and suddenly they’ve realised, “oh s***, we’re really going to miss you”.’
Places for London has long moved on. A graphic on its website reimagines Brixton News as a coffee shop, and the brochure points out that the Tube station sees some 20.2million passengers a year.
Mail analysis suggests it is the 24th busiest Underground station in London. It is understood that the new unit is already under offer.
And as a new, better financially endowed tenant makes themselves at home in the kiosk, Pritesh has no idea what his future looks like.
The kiosk has also sold everything from local community newspapers to upmarket periodicals (pictured: a selection of newspapers)
Sadiq Khan pictured on board an Underground train at Brixton Station in 2016. As chair of Transport for London, he is effectively the landlord of Brixton News
Places for London has published graphics suggesting that the kiosk could be reimagined as a coffee shop – at more than double the rent
The kiosk is located just inside Brixton Underground station – among the busiest in London and a stone’s throw from Electric Avenue
He told newsletter The Londoner: ‘I will find work because I need to work. I’m open to anywhere and anything. I have no problems with doing physical, office, anything. I just need to work.’
Places for London was set up in 2015 as Transport for London’s dedicated property management company.
Any profit it generates is passed back to TfL to invest in transport – so it has an interest in maximising those gains. As such, it is embarking on ambitious projects such as building thousands of new homes across the capital.
Last year, it reported a pre-tax profit of £16.6million, not including £50.7million of gains from both the sale and appreciation of property.
This may some way to explaining why Mr Patel has found himself being priced out. Places for London prefers to describe the situation as him ‘deciding not to stay’.
Ironically, Places for London held events to mark Small Business Saturday in support of the independently run shops in its property portfolio in December.
A Places for London spokesperson said the newsstand unit was in need of repairs, and that it had offered Mr Patel first dibs on the expanded unit.
They said: ‘We are proud to support more than 1,500 businesses across our estate, 95 per cent of which are small and medium enterprises.
‘At Brixton, we have the opportunity to increase the size of the retail unit currently occupied by the newsstand, and asked Pritesh in January 2024 if he’d be interested in the larger space.
‘He decided not to stay, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours and would welcome him elsewhere on our estate.
‘Places for London always looks to ensure that tenants pay a reasonable market rent.
‘The new refurbished unit at Brixton will be larger than the current unit (almost double the size), and therefore would require a higher market rental value. In terms of £ per sq ft, the new rent for the unit is very close to the current rent paid.’