Despite the enticing produce in their windows, Mus-lim-owned retailers on east London’s Brick Lane are unusually quiet as a cost-of-living crisis bites into Ramadan earnings.
The historic street is the hub of London’s Bang-ladeshi community, and normally a vibrant destina-tion for shoppers during the Islamic holy month, which in Britain started on the evening of March 22.
But this year, Muslim and other customers are paring back on non-essentials, according to Taj Stores co-owner Jamal Khalique, who has had to put up his prices to keep pace with double-digit inflation.
“This makes it a bit more difficult for people al-ready suffering from high costs of living,” said the 51-year-old, who sells everything from fresh produce and halal meat to South Asian sweets and snacks.
People are “purchasing what they need, necessi-ties, not extra things like they normally do”, Khalique added. Business is also depressed across the road at Ra-jmahal Sweets, which would normally be bustling with shoppers picking out Iftar treats to break the daily fast.—AFP
