Harry Ramsden’s, the Boparan Ventures-owned, iconic fish & chip shop chain, said it remained in talks with a number of pub groups and franchisees regarding a rapid expansion of the brand, as it relaunched Its Bournemouth site after a £1m-plus refit.
As revealed by M&C Report in January, the group has been in talks with a handful of pub operators about launching a branded franchise offer into the tenanted pub sector. Chief executive Joe Teixeiria said that he had a preferred candidate but discussions were ongoing.
He said that the group was close to securing its first franchisee in the brand’s heartland of Yorkshire, where he believes the company can open c50 sites over time and expects regional franchisees to be able to support five to 10 sites going forward.
He also said that plans were coming into place to launch the brand internationally, although the UK took precedence.
Late last year, Teixeira said the group was set to be self sufficient by the end of 2013, as it plans a three-pronged rollout strategy.
Teixeira said that the future of the current 29-strong brand was a c20-strong company-owned estate, a franchise estate and a ‘Locals’ takeaway format.
He said: “We are currently in discussion with a number of potential franchisees and pub groups to expand the brand aggressively under a variety of formats (both here in the UK and internationally) with an ambition of 500 plus units over a period of time.
“The company has now emerged in better health (from a distressed position) and expected to deliver positive a contribution this year after a short period of turnaround since the acquisition by its current owner Ranjit Singh Boparan, who also own the Two Sisters Food Group and Northern Foods.”
The newly rebranded Harry Ramsden’s in Bournemouth reopened last week after a £1m-plus refit and the company said it now boasts the largest fish & chip restaurant in the world with 417 covers.
