Harry Ramsden’s, the iconic British brand, world famous for its fish and chips, has granted the franchise for Scotland to Sevenseas Ventures Limited and in doing so is set to create up to 500 jobs across the country within the next 5 years.
As part of an ambitious growth strategy overseen by Harry Ramsden’s CEO Joe Teixeira, under the terms of the franchise agreement, 50 new outlets will open across Scotland by 2019. These will include a mix of full service 100+ seater restaurants with takeaway facilities, as well as new ‘traditional locals’, bringing Harry Ramsden’s back into the heart of towns, cities and suburbs across Scotland.
The scope of the agreement is such that a number of sites across the country including Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Ayrshire and the Highlands are currently being explored and assessed for their suitability as the locations for first openings later this year.
Currently Harry Ramsden’s operates 24 outlets however just three are located in Scotland and as Joe Teixeira notes, ‘‘Fish and chip is arguably the nation’s favourite takeaway, selling over 255 million portions each year. However, with such a limited presence, we have been unable to satisfy demand in Scotland.
“When you consider that, over the past two years, Harry Ramsden’s has been enjoying record sales as a result the brand’s evolution, which includes a contemporary new look and a greatly enhanced menu offering, this is the ideal time to increase our presence across Scotland. The signing of this franchise agreement also effectively represents further and deserved financial investment in Harry Ramsden’s. ’’
Franchisee: Sevenseas Ventures Ltd
The franchise for Scotland has been awarded to Glasgow based Sevenseas Ventures Ltd, whose Directors have an established base in the healthcare sector. Commenting on the Harry Ramsden’s franchise deal, a spokesperson for the company says:
“There is untapped potential to establish Harry Ramsden’s in Scotland as there is no recognised brand leader currently operating in the Scottish fish and chips marketplace. Given the high levels of trust associated with the Harry Ramsden’s name, coupled with the higher quality product they offer which unlike many competitors can be traced from the sea to the plate, makes us confident of success in Scotland.”
Finding locations
He adds: “Currently, our main priority is finding suitable locations in major cities including Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee for 100+ seater restaurants, although we are keeping a close eye out for possible sites for the smaller, ‘traditional’ locals. We are open minded about the exact details of the final mix of outlets as this will obviously be dependent on the location and size of units available. That said, given that this is Scotland, there will no doubt be great opportunities for both larger scale restaurants and 1,000 sq ft ‘traditional locals’ in highly populated areas, and both will feature heavily in our roll out plans.”
Up to 250 new outlets in next 5 years
With an eye to the future, Teixeira notes, “We are extremely hopeful that there will be more announcements of this type in the coming months and, as such, anticipate up to 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. Even as we move forward, though, we continue to embrace the heritage and values of Harry Ramsden himself and this allows us to build upon the myriad of fans we already have, by introducing the brand to a whole new generation.”
Since taking over at the helm in 2011, Teixeira has overseen major £multi-million investment in the brand, including the installation of state of the art digital technology across the Harry Ramsden’s estate as well as the recent £1m+ refurbishment of its Bournemouth property, which is now recognised as the largest fish and chip restaurant in the world. In addition, Harry Ramsden’s also recently returned to the roots of its eponymous founder, with the signing of a franchise agreement which will see 50 new outlets open in Yorkshire by 2018, creating up to 500 jobs. The brand is also in the early stages of a partnership with one of the UK’s leading motorway services operators which has resulted in the opening of Harry Ramsden’s outlets at Welcome Break services in Woodall and Oxford.
