TfL Rent Hike Forces Closure of Beloved Brixton Tube Newsagent

A much loved fixture of Brixton tube station is set to close its shutters for the final time this week, after a steep rent increase made the business financially impossible to continue. Brixton News, a traditional newspaper and magazine kiosk that has served commuters and locals for more than three decades, will shut on Friday following a decision by Transport for London to drastically raise the rent on the unit.

The kiosk, run by brothers Pritesh and Piyush Patel, has become something of a local institution. For 36 years it has stocked a wide range of publications, from national newspapers to niche international magazines that are increasingly hard to find elsewhere in south London. In recent days, customers have been stopping by not just to buy a paper, but to say goodbye.

The closure follows a move by TfL’s property arm to redevelop the retail space at the station. Pritesh was informed last year that his lease would not be renewed, with plans drawn up to merge the kiosk with a neighbouring office unit to create a larger commercial space. Alongside that change came a dramatic rise in rent. The annual cost was set to jump from £40,000 to £120,000, a figure Pritesh says the business could never absorb.

With already thin margins on print sales, the increase would have forced a fundamental change to the nature of the shop. Pritesh says that was never the intention. He wanted to remain a newspaper kiosk, not transform the space into a different kind of retail outlet simply to survive. For him, the identity of the shop mattered as much as its balance sheet.

The redevelopment has been overseen by Places for London, a company established to generate greater commercial returns from TfL’s property portfolio. While the stated aim is to reinvest profits back into London’s transport network, critics argue that the approach is squeezing out independent traders in favour of higher yielding businesses such as coffee chains.

Since news of the closure became public, the story has attracted widespread attention online, prompting an outpouring of support. Many customers say the kiosk played a unique role in the local community, offering access to publications unavailable in supermarkets or online. Some have described it as one of the last true newsagents in the area.

Despite handing back the keys this week, the future of the unit remains uncertain. It is currently listed as under offer at a reduced rent, suggesting that even at a lower price, securing a new tenant is not straightforward. TfL has said multiple bids have been received and that a new operator will be confirmed in due course.

For Pritesh, the focus is now on finding work after spending most of his adult life behind the counter. He says he is open to any opportunity, whether physical or office based, but admits the loss is deeply personal. Beyond the business itself, he will miss the daily conversations and relationships built over decades. For many in Brixton, the closure marks not just the end of a shop, but the quiet disappearance of a small piece of London’s print culture.