Vegan supermarket to replace Hisbe in Brighton city centre

Hisbe in York Place, Brighton, closed earlier this year alongside its second store in Portland Road, Worthing, after declaring itself insolvent.

Now, Kindly, a “trailblazer” vegan supermarket which prides itself on its organic and local produce as well as its refill stations has announced it will be opening its second store in its place.

In 2019, Kindly opened its first supermarket in Seven Dials, where it “serves the Brighton community and surrounding areas with a mission to reduce plastic pollution, support local suppliers and champion a more ethical food system”.

Over five years, the business, founded by Shiv Misra, said it has saved almost a quarter of a million pieces of single-use plastic through its grocery refill stations, including dried fruit, nuts, pasta, rice and more.

The organisation is also partnered with Too Good to Go, allowing edible food near its expiration date to be sold at a discounted rate.

Hisbe permanently closed earlier this year after it went into liquidation (Image: The Argus)A spokesman for Kindly 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.

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“Kindly is proud to carry this torch forward.”

The business also hopes to open five more stores in other locations over the next five years.

In February of this year, owners Ruth Anslow and Jack Simmonds thanked customers for the “love and concern” they showed to the store, calling the decision to close “very painful”.

A statement on the business’s social media channels said: “We were following a strategic turnaround plan and slowly trading our way back, but ultimately could not weather the cumulative impacts of Covid, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

“We hope that our rebel supermarket sowed a seed of change - and we trust that the important work to transform the food industry will continue through others.”