Phil’s Fruit & Veg under threat of eviction after two decades in Brixton Village Market

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A fruit seller is fighting to stay on his stall of two decades after the company behind controversial plans for a 20-storey Brixton tower block tried to kick him out.

A Hondo Enterprises employee threatened to set in motion Phillip Chong’s eviction from Brixton Village Market last week.

The company, owned by Texan millionaire Taylor Williams, has been trying to get 65-year-old Mr Chong to move from his stall since April 2021.

Hondo has offered Mr Chong alternative spots in Brixton Village, but he argues they don’t get the same footfall as his current shop and wants to stay.

Hondo bought Brixton Village for about £37 million in 2018 and is behind plans to construct a giant office block in Pope’s Road near the market.

Last week the company raised the stakes, threatening to start eviction proceedings on October 10 if Mr Chong didn’t agree to the options offered to him by the company.

But it has since backtracked, saying he is “not being evicted”.

Mr Chong, who has run his stall, Phil’s Fruit & Veg, out of Brixton Village since 2004, said: “I want to stay here. I have been here 20 years and I’ve seen good times and bad times. I’m not giving up yet.

“They want to evict me but I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve always paid the rent on time. They just want to get rid of me.

“They’ve given me options to move to within the Village, but this is the main area and the other areas don’t get the same footfall. I was here before Hondo took the place over, but to them it doesn’t carry any weight.”

An email sent to Mr Chong by a Hondo employee last week reads: “Please confirm how you would like to proceed, in line with my email dated 16 September by the end of the weekend.

“If I’ve not heard from you, I’ll be left with no option but to commence vacant possession proceedings on Monday morning [October 10].”

Mr Chong said that even though Hondo had offered him a £50 discount on the alternative stores, the rent reduction wouldn’t cover the costs of reduced customer numbers.

Mr Chong said that he leases the unit from Hondo on a tenancy at will, which allows the company to boot him out at any time. The agreement also allows Mr Chong to leave the stall at any time.

He is continuing to speak to Hondo, but fears the company is determined to move him on. Mr Chong said: “I still want to stay here but they’re not hearing it. This has been going on for over a year and they’re adamant I should go.”

Hondo has previously attracted controversy by trying to evict food shop Nour Cash & Carry from its unit in Brixton Market.

The company said it needed to build an electrical substation where the store was located. It backtracked on the plans and granted Nour a long-term lease in the market in 2020.

A Hondo spokeswoman said: “As a long-standing trader, keeping Phil’s Fruit and Veg stall in the market has always been our preferred option.

“Phil is not being evicted, as we are currently in discussions with him to reach a mutually agreed outcome to keep him in the market.”