Day 195 - 04 Dec 95 - Page 58


     
     1        evidence of the witness to suggest, were linked to the all
     2        night closes, apparently happened, according to this, every
     3        two weeks.
     4
     5   MS. STEEL:  They did not.
     6
     7   MR. MORRIS:  "Often".
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is where -- please -- that is where you
    10        have left me behind.
    11
    12   MR. RAMPTON: I will start again, if I may.    (To the witness):
    13        What was the cause, Mr. Alimi, of the all night closes?
    14        A.  I am speaking from memory now, but it could be because
    15        somebody is coming down from the Head Office; it could be
    16        because the store might need some maintenance in which case
    17        I was doing the late night -- all night close, and it might
    18        be because generally it needed -- the store needed it to be
    19        cleaned thoroughly.  So it could have different reasons.
    20
    21   Q.   You still say that somebody from Head Office came
    22        sometimes, at least, often, came once every two weeks?
    23        A.  Well, I have said that here.  I cannot remember it
    24        right now, but, yes, at certain times of the year it could,
    25        they could come down as often as that, maybe for a month or
    26        two.
    27
    28   Q.   A month or two.  Would that not mean in a month or two
    29        there would be four such visits, would there not, if there
    30        were two months?
    31        A.  Might have been, yes.
    32
    33   Q.   Did it always mean there had to be an all night close?
    34        A.  Not necessarily, no.
    35
    36   Q.   Can you turn over, please, to page 11 ----
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Mr. Rampton, I am sorry to interrupt you, but
    39        I am still concerned there has been a misunderstanding.
    40        Are you actually meaning to say, because this is the basis
    41        upon which Mr. Rampton is working, that the all night
    42        closes as opposed to the 3 to 4 a.m. closes, at some times
    43        of the year could occur as often as every two or three
    44        weeks, once every two or three weeks?
    45        A.  No, I would not say that.  I would say late night
    46        closes happened often, but again it is speaking from
    47        memory, I do not think that all night closes happened as
    48        regularly as that.
    49
    50   MR. RAMPTON:  All night closes happened very rarely, did they 
    51        not? 
    52        A.  All night closes, it depends what you mean by "rarely" 
    53        or "regularly", because it could happen at times, maybe for
    54        one or two months of the year, it could happen every other
    55        week.  It could happen fortnightly, but I hope I have not
    56        given the impression that these late night closes were the
    57        average closing time for the whole year.  At certain times
    58        they went on regularly until the business was more slack,
    59        and then we went back to our normal maybe 1 o'clock close
    60        or 1.30.

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