A fruitfully meaty relationship

From selling fruits to selling prawns and chicken, Empire Stores has added meat to many a dish.

Unassuminlgy it stands in one corner of the otherwise chirpy Khan Market, surrounded by designer shops and fresh fruit stores.

And if you aren't a hardcore meat-eater, the minute you open the glass doors to the shop, the smell from inside will leave you breathless for a few moments. Yet despite the flesh sale, Empire Store is considered one of the finest shops in Delhi.

Started 25 years ago, the store isn't as new as its inception. In fact, Empire Store was earlier part of its now neighbour, 35-years-old Bombay Fruit Mart.

Started by A Rajora, the fruit mart was a unique concept those days and was a huge success then, as it is now. Eventually, when it was handed down to Rajora's sons, it was divided into two separate stores.

"For years we sold everything from fruits and vegetables to canned and frozen foods," recalls Vijay Rajora, manager of the store and the founder's youngest son. Gradually the huge profit margins in the meat business pushed the store into selling only meats and fish.

Today, Empire Store is one of Delhi's best known meat shops, selling all varieties of meat and sea food, including packaged and frozen meats. The stores consumer base, owing also to its high prices, consists of the creme of the Delhi, as it did when it first started.

And it is this celebrity clientele and variety of customers that keeps Rajora busy at work. "We get orders from Karisma Kapur's house, Kapil Sibal and almost all the embassies. There is never a dull moment here... and when I need a break, I just go on a vacation with my family," he smiles.