NABMA award at Columbia Road Flower Market
The iconic Columbia Road Flower Market has been crowned Best Small Outdoor Market at the 2025 Great British Markets Awards (GBMA).
Loved by locals and tourists alike, the market regularly ranks as a must-see attraction for visitors to London, with customers from all over the world spending their Sundays on Columbia Road.
Columbia Road Flower Market has centuries of history. With origins dating back to 1869 as a food hall, the outdoor market developed as a Saturday trading market initially but began operating on Sundays to accommodate local Jewish traders and the growing community.
The market blossomed into a flower market to provide greenery for the small gardens of the surrounding flats, as plants were carted from gardens in Hackney and Islington to beautify the local community.
In more recent times, a large number of businesses have sprung up to take advantage of the large footfall that the market brings to the area, adding to the local vibrancy.
In addition to its rich history and cultural significance, the market was also recognised for looking to the future, incorporating sustainable approaches to drive down carbon emissions.
Recently, for example, the market partnered up with Zero Emission Network (ZEN) and neighbouring boroughs to deliver Christmas trees to residents’ homes with e-cargo bikes throughout the festive period.
Shane Harnett, a trader at Columbia Road, said:
"My family have been trading at Columbia Road for over 100 years – we have the fifth generation now trading at Columbia Road, we also have got a nursery in stock where we grow all the plants, so not only do we sell the plants, we grow the plants.
"We’re very proud to win this award, it goes down to all the traders, all the staff at the council as well, all the hard work everyone else has put into it. We’re really chuffed to win it.”
The annual awards, hosted by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA), celebrate the outstanding contributions of markets to local communities, regeneration, and tourism over the past year. Last year, Petticoat Lane Food Court was recognised as the Best Specialty Market by GBMA. Columbia Road Flower Market was one of two historic and vibrant markets in Tower Hamlets that collected awards at the 2025 Great British Markets Awards (GBMA) on Thursday, January 30. Whitechapel Market was also crowned Best Large Market at the recent awards.
Cllr Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, said:
“Columbia Road Flower Market is a jewel in the crown – one of the most well-established and iconic markets in London and a truly global destination for travelers from all over the world.
“At the same time, there are traders at the market operating businesses passed down through four or five generations of their families – legacies linking the past to the present.
“The market, which is steeped in local history, remains firmly rooted in its community, looking to the future by investing in new ways to become more sustainable and forming strong connections within the local community.”
Columbia Road Flower Market is open on Sundays from 8am to 3pm. You can find out more about the shops and their famous flower market on their website.
Posted on Tuesday 18th February 2025