Harry Ramsden’s, the iconic fish & chips chain, is set to return to the roots of its eponymous founder, after signing a franchise agreement to open 50 sites across Yorkshire by 2018.
The Boparan Ventures-owned company has signed the franchise agreement with Vikesh and Dimple Patel of JVP Ventures, which currently operates 34 coffee shops across the UK under the Love Coffee brand.
Harry Ramsden’s chief executive Jo Teixeira said: “We are extremely hopeful that this is just the first of many such announcements in the coming months, and anticipate as many as 250 new outlets opening within the next five years, making Harry Ramsden’s more easily accessible to the millions of admirers it has, and continues to attract, across the UK.”
It is anticipated that up to 500 new jobs will be created over the course of the next five years. The expansion in the region will include a mix of full service restaurants with takeaway facilities, as well as the new ‘traditional locals’, with Leeds, Bradford and York currently being explored and assessed for their suitability as the location for first opening in 2014.
Vikesh Patel said: “First and foremost, to be able to bring Harry’s name back to his roots is really exciting, especially since both Dimple and myself were born and brought up in Yorkshire. Working with an established and recognised brand is absolutely key to franchising success and to my mind, Harry’s Ramsden’s is the most iconic brand this country has ever produced. Our confidence in the Harry Ramsden’s name is reflected in the fact that our initial investment is being financed personally. In the coming years, we will regularly plough our profits back into the business to achieve our ambition of having 50 new outlets opened within five years.”
Dimple Patel added: “Currently, our main priority is finding suitable locations in major cities including Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield for 100+ seater restaurants, although we are keeping a close eye out for possible sites for the smaller, ‘traditional’ locals. The final mix of outlets will be dependent on the location and size of units available however, I think there will certainly be more opportunities for ‘traditional locals’ in highly populated areas, so I would imagine these will feature heavily in our roll out plans. Regardless of the final mix, I would conservatively estimate that we will create around 500 jobs by 2018.”
Teixeira said: “It has always been a dearly held ambition to bring the Harry Ramsden’s name back to Yorkshire so I am delighted that the first franchise to be awarded fulfills that desire. It also effectively represents further and deserved financial investment in Harry Ramsden’s, which was so sadly lacking in the past.”
Since taking over at the helm in 2011, Teixeira has overseen a major multi-million-pound investment across the Harry Ramsden’s estate, including the recent £1m refurbishment of the Bournemouth property, which is now the largest fish and chip restaurant in the world.
It is expects to see a return on investment on the site within a year and that Blackpool has been lined up as the next unit for reinvestment. The group experienced a 30% increase in sales at its Bournemouth site in the nine weeks since it reopened.
The company, which saw 5% uplift in like-for-like sales over the three months to the start of September, is currently in talks regarding the launch of the brand in the Middle East. It has also held tentative talks about launching in India, China and Australia.
