Vegan supermarket to take on old Hisbe store

A vegan supermarket is opening its second Brighton branch in the former Hisbe supermarket.

Shiv Misra opened the first Kindly Brighton in Dyke Road in 2019 – and now hopes to open his second in the next two or three weeks.

Another prospective tenant, The Sussex Grocer, previously applied for an alcohol licence for the unit, where they hoped to open a grocery store stocking a range from Morrisons.

But those plans appear to have fallen through, with Kindly Brighton now taking on the York Place store.

Mr Misra said: “The previous tenant left a legacy of trying to challenge the status quo in the grocery industry, and at Kindly, we share that same vision.

“When they closed, they hoped their efforts would inspire others to continue the important work of transforming how food is sourced, sold, and consumed.

“Kindly is proud to carry this torch forward.”

He said that, like Hisbe, the store has a focus on minimising plastic and waste, and on sourcing from local companies where possible.

Hisbe ceased trading in February, and went into liquidation the following month, owing more than £1 million to employees, the taxman, charities and scores of local suppliers.

The supermarket, whose name was short for How it should be, was founded in 2014 with a focus on using local produce and operating in an ethical way.

When it announced it was closing on its social media channels, it said it hoped its “rebel supermarket sowed a seed of change – and we trust trust that the important work to transform the food industry will continue through others.”