Fruit and veg has surged in price, according to a “worried” greengrocer who works in Leeds Kirkgate Market.
Shaun Dolan, 58, whose family has been trading in the market for about 80 years, has been forced to raise prices on some items as he’s not a “ruddy millionaire” and needs to stay afloat himself. He runs M&S Dolan with his brother Michael, located in the outdoor section of the city-centre market.
They make videos on Facebook promoting deals they have on mornings, “there’s bargains to be had, you go to the supermarket and it’s a fortune.” These serve as a crumb of hope to his struggling regular customers, who according to Shaun spend all day in the warm parts of the market as they “daren’t put their heating on”.
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Shaun has said the price of cauliflower has quadrupled, and sprouts, oranges and satsumas have also gone up. He had a few theories as to why.
Shaun said: “At the moment, cauliflowers are £2 each and they were 50p a few weeks ago. You have the frost and the cold weather which does affect what’s grown on the land, it’s probably because of that. There’s sprouts, cauliflowers, people have got to go out and pick them! Oranges have also gone up, satsumas are in a short demand.
“It’s worrying, we don’t earn a lot and we sell stuff cheap. We’re not ruddy millionaires! We’ve still got to pay our bills. Gas, diesel. So many people are going on strike because they want more money. Well, I’d like more money – but where is it supposed to come from?”
Shaun also frets about his customers, especially pensioners who can’t afford to put on their heating. He said: “We get loads of old people who daren’t put the heating on. They’ll come down and sit in the market where it’s warm, rather than stopping at home. It’s wrong.”
Shaun has also been worrying about Leeds City Council’s plan to convert the outdoor market into a ‘food village’, which he fears will attract ‘drunks and make it look like a prison’.
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