Footage from Masala Bazaar, an Asian supermarket in east London, shows customers forming separate queues based on gender during a promotional sale on August 28 for discounted cooking oil. The event went viral as men lined up on one side of chest freezers while women and children waited on the other side. Similar segregated lines appeared over subsequent days when additional promotions were held. The store's manager stated that customers naturally divided themselves into these queues without any instruction from staff, though a worker later clarified via social media that there was no policy requiring segregation, attributing it to congestion and high turnout.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A British Asian supermarket has gone viral after footage appeared to show separate queues for men and women during a recent promotional sale.
asserted
footage → go → sale
A video filmed at Masala Bazaar in Romford showed women, many of them wearing traditional Muslim dress, waiting together with children on one side of the store to receive cooking oil.
asserted
many → film → oil
Footage from the east London supermarket then pans across to reveal a separate queue of men on the other side of a long row of chest freezers, waiting for the same product.
asserted
Footage → pan → product
Masala Bazaar, which specialises in halal meat and South Asian produce and ingredients, operates stores across the UK.
asserted
which → specialise → UK
The video was filmed as the retailer celebrated the third anniversary of its east London branch opening last month.
asserted
retailer → film → branch
On August 28, separate queues of men and women formed as shoppers were handed bottles of vegetable oil.
asserted
shoppers → form → oil
In the following days, queues formed again, also largely divided by gender, as staff distributed what appeared to be joints of meat and frozen fish.
asserted
what → follow → meat
The store's manager told the Daily Mail today: 'We told customers they needed to line up, but we can't control them.
asserted
we → tell → them
People automatically started queuing with the men on one side and the women on the other.
asserted
People → start → other
A queue of women line up during a sale at an east London supermarket
Across the aisle, separated by chest freezers, another line formed, this time of men
Two days later, queues based on gender formed again for a promotion on fish
Romford was once one of London's best-known white working-class areas, but in recent decades it has undergone profound demographic and cultural change.
The so-called 'white flight' to neighbouring Essex has seen the town's white population fall from 95.2 per cent in 2001 to 75.3 per cent today.
asserted
population → line → cent
Over the same period, the proportion of residents identifying as Asian has risen from 2.1 per cent to 10.7 per cent.
asserted
proportion → identify → cent
Masala Bazaar's head office has been approached for comment on whether customers were queuing by gender.
asserted
customers → approach → gender
However, a worker wrote on social media that customers had not been instructed to stand apart and that there was no policy or religious rule requiring segregated queues.
asserted
customers → write → queues
He said the arrangement was a response to 'severe congestion' and a 'large turnout of customers' attracted by the anniversary offers, according to Al Jazeera.
uncertain
arrangement → say → Jazeera
Addressing customers on social media, he wrote: 'Peace be upon you.
asserted
Peace → address → you
On behalf of the store, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone.
asserted
I → like → everyone
We would like to apologise for any mistakes or shortcomings that occurred during the organisation of this event.
asserted
that → like → event
We thank you all for your patience.'
asserted
We → thank → patience
Masala Bazaar is owned by Euro Foods Group, founded by Bangladeshi-born British entrepreneur Shelim Hussain, whose fortune is estimated at £105million.
asserted
fortune → own → 105million
As well as its Romford branch, the company operates supermarkets in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.
asserted
company → operate → Birmingham
Zayuber, the Romford store manager, insisted the two lines were not intentional.
asserted
lines → insist → ?
He said: 'It was so overcrowded in here for the third anniversary.
asserted
It → say → anniversary
At events like this, we have a "power hour" where we give out free gifts, so everyone wants them.
asserted
everyone → have → them
It was chaos and people were trying to take more than they should.
asserted
they → try → more
We told customers they needed to line up, but we can't control them.
asserted
we → tell → them
People automatically started queuing with the men on one side and the women on the other.
asserted
People → start → other
Staff were handing out cooking oil to customers as Masala Bazaar celebrated its third birthday
Another store worker said the videos were filmed during celebrations marking the store's third anniversary, held between August 26 and 31.
asserted
videos → hand → August
He said: 'We were giving away oil, fish, quiche, grapes and biscuits.
asserted
We → say → oil
There were simply too many people gathering around, so we had to create two queues to hand out the food more efficiently.
asserted
we → be → food
'The men stood with the men and the women with the women.
asserted
men → stand → women
We didn't tell anyone where to stand.
asserted
We → tell → anyone
They formed the queues themselves.'
One woman, who has lived in Romford all her life and works at a local gym, said: 'The size of the queues would put me off going there anyway.
asserted
size → form → me
I've never seen anything like that in another shop.
asserted
I → see → shop
You don't see many English people about now, whereas a few years ago it would have been mostly English people.
asserted
it → see → people
It's completely changed.
asserted
It → change → ?
'I think it bothers some people more than it bothers me.
asserted
it → think → me
I can understand why some aren't happy with it.
asserted
some → understand → it
It can feel a bit intimidating at times, but I don't really mind.
asserted
I → feel → times
Social media users who shared the footage expressed concern about the apparent separation of customers.
asserted
who → share → customers
One wrote: 'Nobody passed a law saying England would adopt sex-segregated queues.'
Another said: 'I can't quite believe my eyes. This is the UK in 2026.
asserted
This → write → 2026
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
