Dinesh Patel, known as Dennis, is living the dream that led his father to spend 13 years in the mills before starting a shop in the mid 1970s. Two generations later the family, having ridden the video rental market in the 90s and the the mobile telephony boom of the 2000s, have become big players in East European food retailing.
Marcin, from Poland, has his foot on the first rung of a similar ladder. He arrived in Bradford 8 years ago and after a few years working for others he decided having his own business was the way to go. He started by building a smokehouse in his garden to produce hams and sausages and now he processes several pigs a week. While the fresh meat brings in a decent return, he is focused on finding new customers.
Even when cash is tight the city's Muslim population spare no expense when it comes to weddings, a fact that Sahida, a single mother of three girls, has made the most of with a rapidly expanding chain of bridal make-up salons. She also trains other Muslim women in bridal makeup, providing a handy female-only income stream.
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