LONDON: A new exhibit highlights immigrant entrepreneurs and their part in shaping Britain, featuring everyone from the co-founder of retail behemoth Marks & Spencer to the proprietors of a family-run Chinese restaurant.
They have “shaped every aspect of our lives, from the apparel we wear to the food we eat, to the furniture in our homes, to the apps on our phone,” Matthew Plowright, the head of communications and engagement at the Migration Museum, told AFP.
Visitors can browse around sections of the museum, which is housed inside a south London retail district devoted to different types of immigrant-owned businesses seen on a typical British high street, from corner shops to restaurants.
The exhibition titled “Taking Care of Business” examines the beginnings of numerous British businesses that were started by immigrants and have since become household brands; it is open until late September. For instance, Michael Marks, born into a Polish Jewish family that emigrated to Britain in 1882, co-founded the shop Marks & Spencer.
Another originates from Costa Coffee, the nation’s first chain of coffee shops, which was started by Italian immigrants Sergio and Bruno Costa in the 1950s. —AFP/APP
