Three Yorkshire openings for Harry Ramsden's
Fish and chip restaurant company Harry Ramsden's is to open three new restaurants in partnership with two of its franchisees.
Vikesh and Dimple Patel of JVP Ventures, who in 2013 became the first franchisees signed by the company following its acquisition, will open the three outlets before the end of the year.
The first of these will open in Shipley in Yorkshire in April, on the town's Wrose Road.
Openings in Huddersfield and Sheffield will take place "from April onwards".
Vikesh Patel said: "First and foremost, to be able to bring Harry's name back to his roots is really exciting for us. We have spent a great deal of time and effort in identifying and securing suitable sites however that process has been made slightly easier since both Dimple and myself were born and brought up in Yorkshire. Time and taste move on and whilst I think comparisons will be inevitable, our new Harry Ramsden's outlets will reflect the brand's evolution and we are looking to the future with great confidence."
Joe Teixeira, CEO of Harry Ramsden's added: "It has always been a dearly held ambition to bring the Harry Ramsden's name back to Yorkshire so I am delighted that we are able to announce the opening of Shipley. It effectively represents deserved financial investment in the brand and more importantly, secures Harry Ramsden's legacy, locally. As we continue to successfully move forward, we still embrace the heritage and values of Harry Ramsden himself and this approach is allowing us to actively re-engage with customers of old as well as introducing Harry's to a whole new generation, as our performance underlines."
Since taking over at the helm in 2011, Teixeira has overseen major multi-million pound investment across the Harry Ramsden's estate, including the recent £1m refurbishment of the Bournemouth property, which is now reputedly the largest fish and chip restaurant in the world.
The first Harry Ramsden's branch opened in Guisely in Leeds in 1928 but the site closed in 2011.
