Billingsgate Christmas trade 'slow' since Covid, say traders
Some traders at London's historic Billingsgate Fish Market say trade in the run up to Christmas is not as strong as it once was.
Once one of its busiest times of the year, they say footfall has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with one describing it as "horrendous".
In the past, customers have queued up in the night for the opening of the market at 04:00.
Mr Elgin believes the cost of living crisis has also seen custom drop off.
"You've not only got Covid, but you've also now got the cost of living crisis because people buy less. There's no restaurant trade at the beginning of the week now and they're just not getting the bookings," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"On top of that, you've just had the World Cup so everybody is cancelling their Saturday night dinners."
Retailers, restauranteurs and individual customers shop at the market, which now operates from a large trading hall in Canary Wharf, having previously been based in the City of London.
Mr Elgin runs James Nash & Son, one of the four major stalls here.
He said this December had been better than the last two but added: "It's still not back to pre-Covid levels. It's still a long way off of that. It's been horrendous."
Zaid Khan, another trader in the market, said he was forced to close during Covid.
"It was very, very hard for us," he said.
"We only buy the fish we think we can sell easily, but sometimes it happens where we've ordered too much fish, we might have to throw it away on Friday or Saturday."
Mr Khan said the last week had been slow but that he still hoped for a last minute rush.
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