Leicester sari business to close after nearly 60 years

Kishor Chauhan said it was time to take it easy and enjoy life

A family business that has been selling traditional Asian dresses for nearly 60 years is closing so the owner can retire.

Milans opened in the Highfields area of Leicester in 1964 to bridge a gap in the market for newcomers from India and Pakistan.

It later moved to Belgrave Road - now known as the Golden Mile - and became a popular destination for sari shopping.

The owner Kishor Chauhan said it was finally time for him to "take it easy".

Mr Chauhan's family moved to the UK from East Africa in the 1960s.

"At that time there were a few Indian shops selling groceries and sweets but there was no shop selling saris," he said.

"My sister's marriage was arranged and my mother found it really difficult to get an outfit for my sister.

"They went to the market, bought a piece of cloth and made the sari themselves."

In 2014 about 2,000 people lined the street to pay their respects to Mr Chauhan's son Rakesh, who was killed in an RAF helicopter crash

This inspired his mother to set up the business, which Mr Chauhan eventually took over.

Mr Chauhan said the shop had served many families over the years, including migrants from Kenya and Uganda.

"People came with very little and the shop fulfilled their requirements," he said.

In 2014, the Golden Mile closed to allow some 2,000 people to pay their respects to Mr Chauhan's intelligence officer son Rakesh, who was killed in an RAF helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Today, customers travel from places like Birmingham and Coventry to shop at Milans.

Mr Chauhan said the shop would close once he had sold the last of his stock.

"I've been working seven days a week for the last 65 years," he said.

"I think I'm getting old now and I need to take it easy and enjoy my life."