Jay Rayner criticises Sadiq Khan’s TfL for extortionate rent hike that has forced iconic London Underground newsstand out of business

A newsagent that has been catering to famous faces and ordinary Londoners for 36 years is closing tomorrow after being priced out by the unlikeliest of landlords, Sadiq Khan.

For more than three decades, Brixton News has been selling newspapers and refreshments to passengers at Brixton Underground station, in the heart of a neighborhood renowned for its community spirit and resilient 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 the kiosk going, a figure they cannot afford.

The unit is owned by Places for London, which is part of Transport for London, of which Mr Khan is chairman. He insists the new rate is fair.

But the stall’s closure has devastated locals, including famed 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 are smiling, but this is a very sad moment.

‘Next week, after 36 years on the Brixton tube, Pritesh closes what he thinks is one of the last, if not the last, classic newsagents in a central London tube station.

‘Transport for London basically put them in a financial situation and they had to give up their lease. ‘I know what the new rent in this space will be and I would be very surprised if any business could manage it.’

Mr Rayner, who has been the Observer’s food critic for more than 25 years, said the loss of the buffet was particularly frustrating because it offered ‘easy access to a fantastic range of print publications’ in the form of magazines and newspapers from around the world.

Pritesh Patel with food critic Jay Rayner, who took to Instagram to reminisce about his decades-long run at the kiosk

The kiosk has been selling all kinds of drinks and magazines for more than thirty years. Mr Rayner said its loss would deny locals easy access to new print media

‘“This kiosk is always where I buy my Private Detective book,” he added. ‘They sold a lot of them. God, I’m going to miss this. And thank you Pritesh and your team for all your services.’

Pritesh and his brother founded the Brixton News in 1990 and, located just inside the station and a stone’s throw from Electric Avenue, it quickly became a beloved part of the local area.

In addition to selling numerous magazines and newspapers, the kiosk became a source of assistance and kindness for local people.

Pritesh recalled buying wallets and keys for friends and relatives to pick up later, and loading up Oyster cards for locals who preferred the personal touch rather than a faceless ticket machine.

But two years ago Places for London got in touch and said the kiosk would be combined with an adjacent office to create a larger space.

The £40,000 lease was said to be tripled to £120,000. It was later reduced to £85,000; This is more than double the current rent.

Pritesh said he was ready to renovate to create a larger space but eventually had to decline, telling MyLondon that he and his brother were ‘priced out’.

Mr Patel added: ‘TfL refused to renew our lease because they wanted to redevelop themselves. We can never afford the money they want.

‘It’s really sad, you know? We came here when I was in my 20s and I’ll be 60 this year. I got to know many customers, their lives, their children.

‘I feel sad because so many of them have shown us so much love lately. I think most people expected us to be here for another 20 years and suddenly they realized, “oh shit, we’re really going to miss you.”

The kiosk also sold everything from local newspapers to luxury periodicals (pictured: various newspapers)

Sadiq Khan pictured on a tube train at Brixton Station in 2016. As Head of Transport for London, he is effectively the host of the Brixton News.

Places for London has published graphics suggesting the kiosk could be repurposed as a coffee shop for more than double the rent.

The kiosk is located just inside Brixton Underground station; It is among London’s busiest tube stations and is a stone’s throw from Electric Avenue.

Places for London has been around for a long time. A graphic on the website recreates the Brixton News as a coffee shop, and the brochure notes that the tube station sees around 20.2 million passengers a year.

Post analysis shows it is the 24th busiest Underground station in London. It is understood that the new unit is already on offer.

And while a new tenant who is better off financially would feel right at home at the kiosk, Pritesh has no idea what his future will be like.

He told the newsletter Londoner: ‘I will find a job because I need to work. I’m open to everywhere and everything. Physical, office etc. I have no problems with things. ‘I just need to work.’

Places for London was founded in 2015 as Transport for London’s exclusive property management company.

Any profits it generates are plowed back into TfL to invest in transport; hence it is in his interest to maximize these gains. That’s why it’s embarking on ambitious projects such as building thousands of new homes in the capital.

Last year it reported a pre-tax profit of £16.6 million, excluding a £50.7 million gain from the sale and valuation of property.

This might go some way to explaining why Mr. Patel is priced out. Places for London prefers to describe the situation as ‘deciding not to stay’.

Ironically, Places for London held events to celebrate Small Business Saturday in December to support independently run shops across its property portfolio.

A spokesman for Places for London said the newsagent unit was in need of repairs and had offered initial payments to Mr Patel for the expanded unit.

They said: ‘We are proud to support more than 1,500 businesses in our region, 95 per cent of which are small and medium-sized businesses.

‘We have an opportunity to increase the size of the retail unit in Brixton where the newsagent currently stands and in January 2024 we asked Pritesh if he would be interested in the larger space.

‘He has decided not to stay and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors and will welcome him elsewhere on our property.

‘Places for London always strives to ensure that tenants pay a reasonable market rent.

‘The refurbished unit in Brixton will be larger than the existing unit (almost twice the size) and will therefore require a higher market rental value. In £ per square metre, the new rent for the unit is very close to the current rent being paid.’