King’s Cross has today announced it will be welcoming East London’s much-loved Mare Street Market to the neighbourhood. Totalling 18,000 sq. ft over two levels, it will offer 70% more space than the original Mare Street Market in Hackney and is the biggest venture to date from Mare Street’s owners, Barworks.

Opening this autumn, Mare Street Market King’s Cross will be the second largest retail deal in the history of King’s Cross, eclipsed only by the 20,000 sq. ft SamsungKX experience store in Coal Drops Yard.


Located on Lewis Cubitt Square, adjacent to Coal Drops Yard, Mare Street Market King’s Cross will feature eight unique retailers on the ground floor offering an eclectic mix of shopping and services, with an exciting day-to-night hospitality and leisure offer spread across all three floors. This will include a café and co-working space, deli, restaurant, and bar, with indoor and outdoor seating for up to 700 covers. The outdoor space is designed to capitalise on and enliven the distinctive location of Lewis Cubitt Square and the surrounding public realm which overlooks Coal Drops Yard and Stable Street.


The exciting mix of retailers and dining outlets at Mare Street Market King’s Cross will have a broad and varied appeal and will cater to different price points. The new operators will be unveiled over the coming months. Mare Street Market King’s Cross will also be located next to the highly popular Lightroom which is currently home to the David Hockney exhibition, Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away).


This significant deal comes hot on the heels of a highly successful Q1 2023 trading period at King’s Cross, which saw retail and F&B sales increase by 21% compared to the same period in 2019. The last six months have also seen a host of new, exciting retailers and experiential brands joining the neighbourhood including VIA Bicycle Atelier, Sugaring London, Kartel and Beyond Retro. With more than 100 retail and hospitality occupiers across the estate, King’s Cross has established its place amongst London’s key shopping and dining destinations for local and international visitors, as well as being a hub for global creative businesses.


James Rayner, Head of Retail at King’s Cross, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Mare Street Market to King’s Cross in what is our second largest retail deal ever. Mare Street Market’s multi-use model is exactly the kind of concept we want to pioneer and nurture as it aligns with the needs of our customers and residents. Flexible, mixed-use spaces like these represent a new frontier for retail and hospitality.
“2022 was a strong year for King’s Cross as we began to normalise post-Covid and we continue to see an upward trajectory in sales growth in 2023, with retail and F&B sales up by over 20% compared to the same period in 2019. The strength of these figures is reflective of new, flexible patterns of working and living – and with shoppers being more selective with their visits and spending more per visit. This gives our new and existing retailers added confidence in the neighbourhood, which can be seen in the high level of demand we continue to receive for our retail units.”


Marc Francis-Baum, Founder of Barworks, added: “As a creative and vibrant corner of London, I can’t think of a better home for our second Mare Street Market. This space will be a gathering point for everyone in the King’s Cross community, whether that’s grabbing a coffee over a morning meeting, finding a record you can’t source anywhere else or catching up al fresco on a sunny evening with friends. This is a real opportunity to create a unique and magical place where anyone can meet, work, eat, drink, shop and enjoy life. “Our mission at Mare Street Market has always been to help new businesses on their journey to success, and in turn they help us provide a unique place and offer. Many of these businesses opened their first physical unit in our Hackney site and have now gone on to have their own shops and places. Prioritising access to entry is an ethos we are proud to share with King’s Cross and we can’t wait to open our doors to the community this Autumn.”