Noor Hussain

What’s your name?
Noor Hussain.

And the name of your shop?
Al-Ghazal, 351 North End Road.

What do you like most about North End Road Market?
Most of the people that come here are from different walks of life.

Why should people come to the market?
Because the prices are so good. You can’t get cheaper produce in any other areas. It's the difference in price.

Which is your favourite shop or stall?
Jeffrey’s. He's my favourite stall. He's friendly. I’ve known him a long time.

You have lots of food here that you can't get in Sainsbury's…
You can, but not at these prices. I don't want to bring the same stuff as the stalls because we don't want to affect each other. It's not nice. I bring other things to be more diverse. To bring more people to the market and to the shop at the same time.

What would you like to be known for best?
I've been on this road since 2005. I began working in the area – in Cromwell Road – in 1999. You can buy produce from anywhere, but people come to you because they like you, because you introduce them to the shop with a nice smile. It's about being flexible with your customers. Respect people, otherwise, nobody is going to come back to you.

How do you do that?
You have to look after your business; look after fair prices; see the things have not been selling. If it's not been selling: reduce the price, particularly if it's near the expiry date. Some people don't have that mentality. They'll throw it in the bin. Reduce the price and sell it instead. If it is one pound, sell it for fifty. Or give it for free. But don't throw it in the bin. A lot of people are hungry. We think about people in different countries. They don't have food to eat. They don't even have bread. Look after those people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan. Even here, there are a lot of homeless people. Give it to them for free. Why throw it in the bin? Shopkeepers, why don't we reduce the price and sell? Do this, keep your produce clean and customers are happy. Simple, right?