London’s world famous Sunday market, better known as Liverpool Street Market, in East London is facing hard times as some of its businesses are folding up while many others are struggling to stay afloat due to the low patronage of Nigerians, a Daily Trust findings have shown.
The 400-year-old market, which sells mainly clothes for women, men and children; designer goods, as well as bric-a-brac and household goods, is patronised mainly by Nigerians and other customers from around the world.
A recent survey by Daily Trust showed that the change of government in Nigeria, coupled with cash and financial policies that placed restrictions on the amount of money one can travel with or withdraw abroad have led to a drastic reduction of Nigerian customers at the market.
In one of the big textile shops in the market, an employee who craved anonymity told Daily Trust that their sales had slumped by more than 40 percent since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that the few Nigerian customers who come in now buy only a fraction of items they used to buy in the past.
In another top textile shop with a reputation of serving tea to big time customers while they shop, a manager who wouldn’t like his name published said their business has been going through “tough times” in the last few months due to a “significant” drop in the number of Nigerian customers.
“When the going was good, a lot of Nigerian customers bought assorted items in bulk and opted for door- to- door courier or cargo delivery in Nigeria,” but lamented that they hardly have such customers now.
Hajiya Rabi, a store operative, while confirming the decline in sales owing to a drastic drop in the number of Nigerian customers, said the future of businesses, especially textiles shops in the market looked very bleak without robust patronage by Nigerians and other customers.
Speaking in the same vein, a shop owner, Chief (Mrs.) Franca Aina, said sales had “really, really gone down,” and attributed the trend partly to restrictions on credit card spending and the limited amount of cash Nigerians are allowed to carry or withdraw abroad.
Aina, who is Nigerian, said the situation was so bad that some shops and businesses were closing down, stressing that: “I think it’s because of the new government’s war on corruption.”
“In the past, Nigerians used to come here and spend (money) anyhow. But now only a few come and they spend very little. In many shops, 90 percent of sales are by Nigerian customers. So you can see why the businesses are folding up,” she narrated.
The shop owner appealed to the Nigerian government to look into the cash and financial restrictions placed on its citizens travelling abroad, stressing that people should be allowed to carry as much money as they wish as long as they could prove ownership of the money.
“We go to Switzerland and other countries to buy goods and carry as much money as we need and the UK does not stop us as long as we can prove it is our money,” she said, pointing out that placing a blanket restriction victimises innocent people who earn their money legitimately.
Daily Trust reports that in most of the shops visited, operatives were seen idling away as very few customers were in the shops, unlike in the past when such shops were a beehive of activities as the operatives struggled to cope with customers’ demand.
A couple seen seated in one of the shops told Daily Trust that they were from Nigeria and they came to the market to buy some fabrics and other items for personal use and gifts (tsaraba) for family and friends at home.
It is recalled that businesses at the market recorded very poor sales for a few days in January 2012 during the fuel subsidy removal protests in Nigeria when flights into the UK were suspended, and it took weeks before the situation became normal.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/international/london-market-closing-due-to-low-patronage-from-nigerians/119292.html

Can you see what the JUJU called CHANGE has caused


We hope the suffercated people waste of NIGERIA are happy

Na true

Aha, at last something that will affect the british economy.

Sai change!

Good development if true. We should buy made in Nigeria products and not foreign made. We can't continue to improve the British economy and by so doing, be killing our own economy.

Exactly the change I voted for

It will be nice also for the British High Commission and their High Performance visa processing agent to suffer the same fate.

Charging Nigerians USD500 for a two year visa , and insisting on dollar payment inside Nigeria is wrong on so many levels.

Oxford Circus and Jermyne Street will soon feel the impact too.

Change is here.

Eti rin kankan!

That's great, let's revamp our own economy here in Nigeria soil.

“In the past, Nigerians used to come here and spend (money) anyhow. But now only a few come and they spend very little. In many shops, 90 percent of sales are by Nigerian customers. So you can see why the businesses are folding up,”
hmmmn

EternalTruths:
Can you see what the JUJU called CHANGE has caused
We hope the suffercated people waste of NIGERIA are happy

Your case worse pass as I been think

Una never see anything...

All d thief's dem don d form sickness

Private jet business are folding up

This is Just d beginning

Abeg pour likes for my Baban Buhari joooor. I didnt stay under the sun to cast my vote for him for no reason.

Sai Baba
Sai Baba
Sai Baba
Sai Baba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#AmAProudCHANGEAgent

The Britons will never spend 1 pound of their earning outside or within their country. They would rather put it back in their economy expecting Other countries to patronize them.

Good development!
The Change is Real

ZeezaRapture:
Abeg pour likes for my Baban Buhari joooor. I didnt stay under the sun to cast my vote for him for no reason.

Sai Baba
Sai Baba
Sai Baba
Sai Baba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#AmAProudCHANGEAgent

Nna 2 bootles of cold Origin for U

Another heavy lie from APC propaganda government,You cannot deceive all Nigeria.

Nigerians want to hear about job creation,Power, Fuel (pms) etc

Tell us about Nigeria Market not a fallacy market in UK

Watin concern us with UK street market.

See yesterday Headline and you are telling us rubbish

Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder, Petrol Now N400 Per Litre - Punch

Liers ...

EternalTruths:
Can you see what the JUJU called CHANGE has caused


We hope the suffercated people waste of NIGERIA are happy

ode. When was the last time you went to london for shopping? Lemme guess, never! Becoz few stole your money and ran to london to shop themselves to stupour

flyingsnail:
Another heavy lie from APC propaganda government,You cannot deceive all Nigeria.

Nigerians want to hear about job creation,Power, Fuel (pms) etc

Tell us about Nigeria Market not a fallacy market in UK

Watin concern us with UK street market.

See yesterday Headline and you are telling us rubbish

Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder, Petrol Now N400 Per Litre - Punch

Liers ...

if u had demanded all these from gej, i would have taken you seriously.

ThisMeansWAR:
ode. When was the last time you went to london for shopping? Lemme guess, never! Becoz few stole your money and ran to london to shop themselves to stupour

U try sef... u de even give am hope say e don ever go London b4... hiya

D only contry he has been to is Biafra

Hmmmm...

One good turn deserves another.

e sweet meeee

seunmsg:
Good development if true. We should buy made in Nigeria products and not foreign made. We can't continue to improve the British economy and by so doing, be killing our own economy.

Height of self deceit.
Have you manufactured even a toothpick in your whole life?

FREEDOM4BIAFRA:


Height of self deceit.
Have you manufactured even a toothpick in your whole life?

What exactly is your point? Can't you Biafrans look the other way when Nigerians are talking? At least, this thread is not about Biafra.

seunmsg:


What exactly is your point? Can't you Biafrans look the other way when Nigerians are talking? At least, this thread is not about Biafra.

We are making you see the obvious signs that Nigeria is sick, yet you all live in denial.

Censored

k

Sai baba

Na only Nigerians dey there

Hmm ...

Fuel scarcity reach there? I need answer o