Darlington market has been hit by the departure of another trader after they packed up their food stall.

Taste of Budapest announced the closure of its Darlington stall on Wednesday afternoon, leaving the indoor market after just over a year of trading in the town centre.

The trader, which sold Hungarian kebabs and Lángos, was among the six traders which opened when the market was revamped in August 2021. The facilities owner’s Market Asset Management (MAM) installed new food stalls as part of a extensive redevelopment of the historic building.

But several traders which opened last summer have since closed, however MAM insists there are others lined up to replace them.

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In a post on Facebook the owners of Taste of Budapest said: “Dear friends and customers, unfortunately we had to make the hard decision to close our unit and our successful business at Darlington Market.

“There were a few different reasons and factors what played apart... and as we like our freedom and be our own boss in our own business we will carry on attending on festivals, markets, and you can even hire us for events.

“Thank you for your support during this time it was a pleasure.”

A video shared alongside the statement showed staff packing down the stall. 

It means there are now only two remaining food stalls (Spud Gun and Manao Thai) which remain from the initial opening.

But MAM says it is working to introduce the new traders in the coming weeks.

A spokesperson for the Darlington Markets operator said: “We are sad to see the Taste of Budapest leave their successful business in Darlington Market as they explained on their social media, but we wish them well as they shift their focus to their programme of events and pop-up activities.

“We would like to thank them for their valued contribution to the market which continues to shine as a food and live events venue and a real community hub.

Darlington Markets continues to attract high quality traders, and two brilliant new arrivals will be announced shortly including a new tenant taking up the space occupied by Taste of Budapest who are in the process of preparing for their launch as soon as October.”

Work is now underway to create a new basement prohibition-themed bar ‘The Vault’ offering ales and cocktails.

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