Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Dhamecha founder passes away

ONE of the pioneers of the British Asian business community Khodidasbhai Dhamecha passed away in India after a brief illness. He was 89.

Dhamecha had been in Jamnagar in Gujarat state in India over the last few months and passed away peacefully on Friday (14) surrounded by his close family. His funeral took place on the same day in the city.


He founded the hugely successful Dhamecha Cash & Carry chain with his brothers in the 1970’s.

The group grew to be one of the biggest independent cash and carry chains in the country with a turnover in excess of £700 million.

Operating primarily in London, the group operates nine depots serving thousands of independent retailers and catering customers.

The group has two depots outside of London in Leicester and Birmingham.

Widely respected in the community, Dhamecha was one of the pioneers of the grocery industry starting his first depot in Wembley in 1976 to serve the growing number of Asian retailers entering the convenience sector.

With his brothers Shantibhai and Jayantibhai and their children, the family built one of the most successful businesses in the food and drink sector.

The family now have wide business interests and were valued in Eastern Eye’s Asian Rich List at £380m.

Dhamecha came to the UK in the 1960’s from Kisumu in Kenya where he worked for Barclay’s Bank.

He lost his father at a young age in India and migrated to Kenya.

Dhamecha was a prominent and generous philanthropist who donated to many charitable causes, particularly those focussed on education, religion and welfare.

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less