Walter Braund (Western) Ltd ceased trading at Western International Market in west London on October 9, when manager Sammy Karahassan tendered his resignation to the firm’s owner John Johnson.
In a letter, Karahassan told Johnson he was resigning because of “stress” and for “personal” reasons. However, according to market landlord Hounslow Borough Council, he has gone through a standard tendering process for the two units vacated by the closure of C&B Salads in August, and will open a new business - Freshfields Fruit Ltd - on the market on Monday, employing several former Walter Braund staff.
Johnson said: “The Walter Braund (Western) business on Western International Market will not be re-opening, although I would like to stress that Walter Braund (Spitalfields) Ltd is a completely separate limited company and is trading as usual.”
Johnson’s legal counsel John Lamb confirmed this. “The closure of Walter Braund (Western) has no effect whatsoever on the Spitalfields business,” he said. “We are in the process of investigating fully the finances of Walter Braund (Western) Ltd at the moment and we should know more about the situation by the end of this working week.”
The company is the third to have closed since the opening of the new Western International Market on July 7 this year, and at least one more firm is said to be having serious financial issues.
Gill White, chair of Western International Market Tenants’ Association, lamented this latest casualty, but added that trading space is still being filled. She said: “It is a shame about Walter Braund (Western) and I understand there were staffing issues.
“But a new firm - Freshfields Fruit Ltd - is opening on Monday and will occupy the double unit taken by C&B Salads before it closed in the summer. It is very encouraging, especially in these times to see new firms opening up.”
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