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CROYDON'S FIRST FOOD FESTIVAL A ROARING SUCCESS

Friday 7/11/08 17:00

Croydon's first Food Festival has been a great success providing a significant boost for local business.

The organisers at Croydon BID (Business Improvement District) were so pleased with the response to the festival and the increase in visitors it brought to the Town Centre that they are planning to make it an annual event.

The Food Festival which ran throughout October, aimed to celebrate Croydon's diverse, multicultural range of restaurants and produce with a series of events and free activities. In addition, there were specialist food markets in North End including The Team Fantastique Continental Food Market, a Black History Food Fayre and the 'Big Green' Market which all helped to attract more visitors - with a total of around 2.5 million coming to see what all the excitement was about.

Other attractions included special events in Surrey Street market and the Whitgift Demonstration Kitchen where chefs, including award-winning restaurateur and owner of Le Cassoulet in South Croydon, Malcolm John, showcased their skills.

Ian Harvey, Marketing Manager for the Whitgift Shopping Centre, said, "Shoppers were delighted to see such exciting and informative shows and we have received a large number of positive comments from people wanting to see the festival again next year. In the last week we saw footfall increase by 8% which is staggering, considering that represents around 40,000 shoppers".

He continued, "We would like to thank all the BID team for their hard work in putting on such a professional festival, and more importantly, all the local restaurants who showcased their eateries in the best possible way. We look forward to partnering with the Food Festival in 2009 and aim to make it an even bigger success."

Promotions such as the official Croydon Food Festival Discount Card helped entice people into town for a bite to eat with many local restaurants reporting increased takings on previous weeks.

Giovanni Tonna, General Manager of Wagamama said: "This was a great event which was well organised. We had an excellent response from our customers and it was a fantastic opportunity to promote businesses in Croydon."

Brian Stapleton, Chief Executive of Croydon Business said: "We are extremely delighted with the success of the Croydon Food Festival. The response from both the public and businesses has been fantastic proving that the Town Centre with the rest of Croydon has outstanding food and restaurants. A big thank you goes out to all our sponsors and everyone who was involved in the organisation of over 70 events during the month."