Shopkeepers let rip on 'challenges' of running a business in deprived Yorkshire town
Newsagent Udana says customers regularly demand to be given 'something free'
Shopkeepers have opened up about the challenges of running a shop in a deprived Yorkshire town.
A pair of business owners who own a newsagent and a takeaway shop spoke about the issues they experience day to day in Batley. Batley Central consistently ranks within the top 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the most deprived areas in England, according to The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
Shopkeeper Udana Perera, 42, father-of-two, 10 and eight, originally from Sri Lanka, runs Kawadi Sri Lankan Minimarket on Bradford Road. Udana has been running the business since 2022, after coming to the UK in 2007.
He said customers regularly come in demanding they be given “something free”. Udana said: “Right now shopkeeping is a challenge. It’s not easy, sometimes people come in friendly, with smiles, and for no reason they ask for something free, things like that.
“Fake notes. There are so many fake notes around here and I don’t know what going on, especially with Scottish ones. So, it’s a big challenge. It’s like always you have to be vigilant with who’s coming. It’s a really hard task.”
In regard to shoplifting ,the 42-year-old said he experiences “less problems” than those more centrally on the high street but says other shops are targeted by “young boys and girls”.
In a message to the community, Udana said: “Just give respect. We talk about equality. If you have respect for others then you will get back that respect.”
'Non-stop'
Takeaway owner Hamza Lorgat, 28, runs Deli and Slice on Market Place. He used to work in telecommunications but decided to launch his own business after being made redundant, eight months ago.
He’d been working part-time in takeaways on and off from around the age of 16. His passion for food was passed down by his grandparents.
Hamza said: “I’ve got a big, long list [of challenges]. Everything. It’s different than working for someone. When you’re on a nine to five, once it comes to 5pm, you can switch off, for the rest of the day. With this, it’s non-stop.”
He’s said the secret to running a takeaway shop well is “quality and making sure customers are always happy”. He said he’s only had one bad review which still plays on his mind.
Hamza said: “We’ve only ever had one bad review and that hurt me. It was just about the pizza. Literally, one bad review and I still remember it sometimes. I hate bad reviews. It just about giving customers a good thing at a small, reasonable, price.”
Hamza said he even trawled CCTV to see if the pizza had been prepared different as “most people love our pizzas” I order to resolve it with the customer but couldn’t pinpoint any differences in how it was made.
The 28-year-old said issues can even arise from small things like handing out sauce, stating that sometimes they can unfortunately open. He says “finding the right staff” can also prove challenging as he has high standards for quality control.
Hamza said: “Got to get people who are trustworthy and have the same passion, like me. It’s not just about putting food on the plate – it’s about checking food is actually nice.”