Deliveroo comes to Croydon, along with new Romanian, Caribbean, Italian, and Indian street food restaurants
Openings
The diversity of Croydon’s food offerings has increased yet again, with a new Romanian restaurant called Mahala opening at 83 Church Street (previously Big Mamma/The Gun) and Indian street food restaurant Bombay Brunch taking over Khyber’s old premises at 284–288 High Street.
South End also has two new food places: Caribbean restaurant Little Mobay at number 95 and Italian restaurant Bianco43 at numbers 40–42.
The Co-op is expanding its operations in Croydon, with a new supermarket at 6a Lansdowne Road (replacing the previous My Local) and another branch of its funeral services at 2 Brighton Road.
There are two new clothes shops in the Whitgift Centre: a branch of discount clothes chain Choice in Units 98–99, and Bella in Unit 161.
Closures
Bella Italia at 18 George Street has closed, as has Cafe Leon at Leon House, 233 High Street.
There are several closures to report in the Whitgift Centre and Centrale. (We don't survey Centrale very often, so some of these closures might have happened a while ago.) Whitgift closures are Multiyork in Units 1040–1042, Spirit in Units 21–22, Anna in Unit 123, Virgin Media in Unit 122, and BHS in Units 69–73, while Centrale has lost American Candy in Unit 63, Oxygen Red in Units 13–17, and Petals in Unit 3.
The Chelsea Building Society branch at 15 George Street has also closed.
Coming soon
3 Ruskin Parade (on Selsdon Road) is currently under refurbishment to open as a Romanian shop called Dobrogea.
Other news
Food delivery firm Deliveroo has arrived in Croydon, with several restaurants and a wine shop signed up at the time of writing.
The gym at 44 Surrey Street previously run by Virgin Active has been taken over by Nuffield Health. Chihetos at 8 Ye Market (Selsdon Road) has become Baraka Chicken & Pizza, though we’re not sure it’s still open even under that name. Pizzeria Pellone at 256 High Street has been renamed to 500 Degrees, but remains under the same ownership.
Several moves have taken place: Niha beauty salon has moved from 181a North End to larger premises at 60–62 London Road; children’s clothes shop Finoora has moved from 1035 Whitgift Centre to Airport House, Purley Way; accountancy firm Palmer McCarthy has moved from 49a South End to Carlton Road in South Croydon; the Yorkshire Building Society has moved from 3 George Street just down the road to 66–68 George Street; parcel firm Post & Packing has moved from 13 Norfolk House, Wellesley Road to North End Mall (which runs through Croydon Village Outlet between North End and George Street); and clothes shop Mbuta Nanga!, previously at 83 North End, has also moved to Croydon Village Outlet.
Finally, Ciao Bella at 54 Surrey Street is (temporarily?) closed and undergoing some sort of refurbishment.