Two Birmingham brothers have bagged £84 million selling plastic carriers to high street shops.
Afzal and Shabir Majid Alimahomed’s company Euro Packaging makes bags for retail giants Sainsbury’s, Greggs, Toys R Us, New Look and many more.
Official papers revealing the size of their empire emerged after the new 5p plastic bag charge was introduced in England last week, reported the Sunday Mirror.
Industry expert George Daniels, of Leedan Packaging in Worcestershire, said: “They dominate the market when it comes to supplying the big retailers, supermarkets and such like. Smaller businesses can’t compete.”
British shoppers took home more than 8.5 billion single-use supermarket carriers last year.
Ministers hope the new charge will cut down bag use by as much as 80 per cent.
Retail insiders say this will hit firms like Euro Packaging, who also make polythene bags for fruit and vegetables, plus paper sacks.
“It sure as heck will eat into their sales. Values will decrease significantly,” said one.
The Majids, who live in multi-million pound mansions in Edgbaston, own the firm through a business based in the tax haven of Jersey. It was originally set up by their father Abdul, who arrived in the UK from Malawi in 1974.
The firm, whose other clients include French supermarket chain Carrefour and US electronics giant Best Buy, has a global HQ in Dubai with sales offices in China, France and Switzerland.
The brothers also run Euro Property Investments, which owns £47 million-worth of shopping centres and luxury apartments around the world.
Shabir, 46, owns two impressive houses in Edgbaston and brother Afzal, 51, is believed to live in one.
The larger is a £4 million eight-bed detached home with a pool, gym, cinema and games room.
Shabir also has an exclusive seafront address on the Dubai island of Palm Jumeirah.
