Karma Kitchen launches 20,000 sq ft Lower Sydenham site

Karma Kitchen, the Crosstree Real Estate Partners backed dark kitchen operator, has announced the launch of its latest site, a 20,000 sq ft location in Lower Sydenham, South East London. It is the fifth site for Karma Kitchen, as it expands its operations throughout London and the rest of the UK.

With up to 40 individual units in the building, the new site is tailored for catering and manufacturing-led Central Production Units (CPUs), designed to support an array of restaurants, caterers, and food production and event companies. It is also conveniently located close to Lower Sydenham station and amidst residential areas including Lewisham, Crystal Palace, Beckenham, and Bromley, ideal for F&B brands – whether large or small – looking for delivery-only kitchens.

Founded by Eccie and Gini Newton in 2018, because of a lack of available kitchen space to grow their catering company Karma Cans, the purpose behind Karma Kitchen is to support the development of food businesses of all types and sizes. This is exemplified by the nature of the units, which are modular meaning a tenant can expand into an adjacent kitchen in as little as two days, as well as the funding support on offer and community-focused affordable spaces.

Karma Kitchen creates spaces that help businesses thrive, taking control of the design, build, and operational management throughout, to make it as straightforward and cost-effective as possible for occupiers. Kitchens can be tailored to the individual requirements of each business, from fully-fitted private space using state-of-the-art equipment, to much larger central production units. A Karma Kitchen unit can be as much as 97 percent cheaper and 20 times faster to occupy than a traditional space, and every site is designed with the staff in mind, including a central break area and naturally lit kitchens.

Each Karma Kitchen also focuses on the welfare of staff, with high quality facilities and social spaces for staff.  In Karma Kitchen Lower Sydenham, the space is centrally located and designed as a place in which staff can relax and mix.  It will serve as the social heart of the facility, helping occupiers with employee recruitment and retention.

Eccie and Gini Newton, Co-Founders of Karma Kitchen, said: “Opening new sites is always momentous, and Lower Sydenham keeps us on a really exciting trajectory for Karma Kitchen. Providing accessible and affordable dark kitchen space is one thing, but we are taking it a step further, delivering unmatched flexibility and funding support to provide the things businesses really need to develop. Lower Sydenham is a great location to enable that, or indeed for larger companies that simply want a delivery-only kitchen in South East London, and we’re delighted to now be making it a reality for catering businesses here.”

Clif Francis, Operations Manager at Lexington Catering, which has committed to a CPU at the Lower Sydenham site, commented: “We have been searching for a CPU since November 2022, and after many site visits and comparisons, we have embarked on a relationship with Karma Kitchen. We have found Karma to be the most scalable and cost effective operator, that matches our business model. It has been great working with the team; they have provided us with support to mobilise our operations, as well as hosting potential sales with our clients to grow our portfolio. We look forward to continuing this relationship.”

Lower Sydenham is the fifth site opened by Karma Kitchen in the UK, adding to the four existing spaces across the capital, at Bermondsey, Wood Green, Hackney, and London Fields. As well as a commitment to support emerging and expanding catering businesses, Karma Kitchen has also set out how it will achieve Net Zero by 2030, using building practices focused on embodied carbon and renewable energy, and ensuring food waste is biodigested and oil turned to biofuel.