Following a successful pilot at White City this summer, Imperial is pleased to announce that Dévorer will be replacing the South Kensington Farmer’s Market from January 2026.
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What is Dévorer?
Dévorer is a student-founded, tech-driven catering initiative designed to improve access to diverse, high-quality food on campus. Co-founded by former Imperial Business School students, the service responds to a common concern: the limited availability of varied and affordable street food options within university grounds.
Today, Dévorer works with over 300 street food vendors, offering 40+ cuisines across 20 universities and 40 colleges, including big names like LSE and Cambridge University amongst others. Now, they’re bringing their proven model to South Kensington to better meet the needs of Imperial’s international and multicultural community.
Dévorer’s upcoming South Kensington market follows successful trials across both White City Place and White City Campus over summer 2025, where the service was a great hit.
A Truly Global Menu
Imperial’s student body represents a wide range of cultures and dietary preferences, and our food offering should reflect that. Dévorer’s vendor network reflects this diversity and includes everything from Greek gyros and Korean BBQ to Uzbek plov, Malaysian curries, Caribbean jerk chicken, and more. Whether you’re looking for halal, non-halal, vegan, vegetarian, meat or fish options, there’s something for everyone, and inclusivity is at the heart of it.
Dévorer’s curated vendor rotation ensures a wide, inclusive selection that better serves our diverse student body.
Built Around You
This new food market offering will leverage technology to better understand and respond to student preferences. By collecting anonymous data, such as dwell time, transactions and using AI-driven analysis, the service will enable Imperial to shape its food offering around what students really want, allowing us to enhance and evolve our current services.
By bringing Dévorer on board, we’ll be able to respond quickly to student preferences, such as varying our vendors, rethinking our market layouts, and diversifying our cuisine options.
Monthly reports delivered to Imperial will highlight popular dishes and engagement trends, helping the university make informed choices that benefit the wider community.
Sustainability, Standards and a Student-Focus
Dévorer is committed to high sustainability standards. All vendors operate under a “leave no trace” policy, ensuring excellent hygiene and minimal environmental impact. The market is also working towards a beef-free offering by September 2026, in line with Taste Imperial’s new Sustainable Food and Drink Policy.
From eco-conscious packaging to creative food waste conversion programmes, they’re focused on reducing their footprint and supporting a greener future for campus dining.
Beyond food, Dévorer will bring Gen Z-focused lifestyle and retail brands to campus, enriching student culture, including the EatSides pop-up, a street food brand from YouTube icons Sidemen.
A Grateful Transition
We want to thank the Farmer’s Market for its incredible contribution to campus life over the past 12 years. Many of its vendors have served across London and beyond, and we’re grateful for the memories and meals they’ve shared with us.
As Imperial continues to grow, we’re excited to work with Dévorer to bring a new student-led, tech-smart and globally-inspired offering to our community.
So what's next?
Ahead of the January 2026 takeover by Dévorer, keep an eye out for our upcoming Christmas markets on 4 December at White City Campus and 11 December at South Kensington Campus. Expect Yorkshire pudding wraps, bratwurst, churros, waffle sticks, DJs, and even Santa’s Grotto! More information to follow.
FAQs
- Why is the Farmers’ Market closing?
- What is Dévorer?
- When will the new market start?
- Where will it be located and what are the hours?
- What kind of food will be available?
- Will you cater for halal, kosher and other similar diets?
- What will food prices be like?
- What payment methods will be accepted?
- Can existing Farmers’ Market vendors apply to Dévorer?
- I’ve heard vendors didn’t get replies from Dévorer — is that true?
- How does Dévorer use data? Is my privacy protected?
- What about sustainability?
- Will the market be accessible?
- Will Dévorer cater for events?
- How can I share feedback or ask questions?
We regularly review our food and drink provision to ensure it meets the needs of the Imperial community. Feedback from our 2023 large-scale survey and ongoing point-of-service surveys highlighted a strong demand for greater diversity in food options and more cost-effective choices.
As we cannot open a new outlet for every preference, a curated food market remains the best way to offer our community variety each week. Dévorer enables us to deliver this by providing a far broader range of cuisines and affordable options without compromising quality.
Dévorer is a student-founded, tech-driven food platform co-founded by two acquaintances from Bayes Business School together with an Imperial Business School alumnus. The company works with over 350 street food vendors across 60 UK sites, including many other higher education establishments like LSE and Cambridge, and uses data-driven insights to tailor its offering to student preferences.
Dévorer is scheduled to launch its regular Tuesday market in early 2026, subject to planning permission.
Current status (correct as December 2025): Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council has advised that a cyber incident on 24 November has delayed decisions. No approvals have been issued since that date, and an extension of time will be arranged once systems are restored. We will confirm the first market dates as soon as permission is granted – it is likely to be either 6 or 13 January 2026.
The market will remain in Dangoor Plaza, the same location and layout as the Farmers’ Market. Opening hours will be 11am – 3pm on Tuesdays.
Expect a truly global menu with a wide range of cuisines to reflect Imperial’s diverse community. From Greek gyros and Korean BBQ to Uzbek plov, Malaysian curries and Caribbean jerk chicken, the offering will be extensive and inclusive. Options will include halal, kosher, vegan, vegetarian, meat and fish dishes, and we are committed to meeting the dietary considerations of our community, as we do with Taste Imperial outlets.
Whilst no individual stall-holder is likely to be able to cater for every single dietary requirement, stalls are carefully selected to – between them – cater for a balanced and broad range of dietary requirements, including halal, non-halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan diets.
Dévorer has agreed a top-end price cap of around £12 per main meal. Many meals will be priced below this level. Vendors may also offer meal deals and loyalty programmes, as seen in previous Dévorer markets.
Payment options include card, contactless, and mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc). It is up to individual stallholders whether they accept cash, as was the case with the Farmers’ Market, so there is no change in this regard.
Yes. Current vendors are welcome to apply to join Dévorer’s network and gain access to sites across the UK. Dévorer have already been in touch with several existing Farmer’s Market vendors about this.
Application process: Vendors can apply via Dévorer’s partner portal, which includes a clear step-by-step guide.
Requirements: Health and safety documentation and a 5-star hygiene rating.
For questions about when vendors were informed of this change, please contact London Farmers’ Markets, who managed the existing market and its communications with its stall holders.
Dévorer has confirmed they contacted stallholders via email, text, phone calls and in-person visits, and followed up after concerns were raised. If any vendor still needs assistance, please email info@devorer.co.uk for support.
Dévorer uses anonymised Wi-Fi presence data to understand footfall and dwell time, combined with aggregated sales data and direct feedback (surveys/interviews). It is impossible to identify individuals from the data collected.
- No cameras will be used.
- Reports are aggregated and cannot identify individuals.
- This approach has been reviewed and approved by Imperial ICT.
Dévorer did not use this technology during its White City pop-ups because ICT approval had not yet been granted at that stage. That approval has now been given following assessment.
If you prefer, you can opt out by turning off Wi-Fi on your device while in the market area.
Dévorer vendors operate under a “leave no trace” policy, use eco-conscious packaging, and support food waste reduction programmes. The market is working towards a beef-free offering by September 2026, in line with Imperial’s 2026-2031 Sustainable Food and Drink Policy.
Yes. The market will remain step-free and wheelchair accessible, with clear circulation space. Vendors will display allergen information and follow strict hygiene standards. If you have specific dietary needs or accessibility questions, please email taste@imperial.ac.uk.
All catering on campus is arranged through Taste Imperial – as before. There is no change here. You can get in touch on our website to find out more.
For any questions about the market or Taste Imperial services, please email taste@imperial.ac.uk