Market Halls acquires Sessions’ Shelter Hall in Brighton

Market Halls has completed its multi-million-pound acquisition of Shelter Hall in Brighton from rival food hall business Sessions.

The deal will see the 15,000 sq ft Shelter Hall become Market Halls’ fifth site and its first outside of London.

Sessions’ co-founder Dan Warne said the sale was a "tough decision" but would allow the group to focus on its wider business.

Food tech platform Sessions launched Shelter Hall on Brighton’s seafront in 2020 and it was praised by Grace Dent in The Guardian for offering a “pleasurable food-hall experience”.

Its success led Sessions to expand its food hall concept into London’s Angel in 2022. The 4,500 sq ft site rebranded as Neighbourhood in 2023 but has since closed.

Sessions has also cut back on its physical food hall offering to focus more on delivery, franchising and developing founder-led food brands.

Market Halls’ expansion outside of London comes shortly after the group launched its fourth site in Paddington earlier this month.

Katie Rose, chief financial officer of Market Halls, said: “Dan and the team at Sessions have done a brilliant job in bringing the site to life over the past few years and we’re committed to building on those strong foundations to ensure Shelter Hall remains at the top of the food hall game for years to come.”

Warne said: “Selling Shelter Hall was a tough decision - it’s where our journey began, and we’ve built incredible memories. I’m hugely thankful to our wonderful team, particularly operations manager Skye Merriman, who has been instrumental in building the business.

"However, I’m thrilled to see it find a new home with Market Halls, a business that shares our passion for outstanding hospitality and for supporting the development of great teams. This move allows Sessions to sharpen our focus towards our mission: bringing original food to more people by acquiring and scaling the UK’s most exciting brands.”

Market Halls launched in 2018 and grew to three London sites in Victoria, Fulham and Oxford Street prior to the pandemic.

The Victoria site was the first to reopen and in 2021 the group used a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to restructure the business, which involved the closure of its Fulham site.

Market Halls now operates sites in Victoria, Oxford Street, Canary Wharf and Paddington.

Image: Max Langran Photography