Nour Cash & Carry in Brixton, South London has been the subject of an online petition to save it, having being served with a section 25 notice forcing the business to leave its premises on 22 July.
The wholesaler offers a diverse range of groceries, with the online campaign quickly gained nearly 5,000 signatories:
The petition reads:
Save Nour Cash & Carry (Brixton)
The owner of Nour Cash & Carry in Brixton Market has been served with a section 25 notice to leave the premises on 22 July 2020.
When first coming to the UK, Nour’s owner found work in the Brixton and quickly opened the first shop which was around for 10 years before the opening of Nour. Having been welcomed into the community with open arms, it was an easy decision to remain in Brixton following the closure of that shop, and it was a unanimous family decision that Brixton would always be home, even when others deemed it unfashionable and unsafe.
Nour has been a staple in Brixton for over 20 years and is a vital resource to ethnic and immigrant communities selling low cost, high end groceries. It serves 90% of the restaurants in the market and surrounding areas, which contributes to their profitability.
Having temporarily closed a few months ago, the neighbouring butchers, fishmongers and cafes also suffered a loss in trade due to the reduced footfall bought about by the closure.
Brixton has changed dramatically over the past 10 years but the change cannot be at the expense of the people who have always served the community.
Over the past 2 years, we have seen closures of many long term and well established retailers in the market. This has had a dramatic effect on footfall and as a result, many of the remaining retailers are now suffering.
While we welcome some of those changes and investments, Brixton has developed into a hub for bars and restaurants and is losing its most valued assets, which are the culture and community it has homed for decades.
Sign this petition to show your support for Nour and the community whose voices cannot be heard. Together we are stronger.
