The world famous British brand, Harry Ramsden’s , has granted Vikesh and Dimple Patel the franchise for Yorkshire. They become the first franchise owners signed by the brand post-acquisition. This will also be good news to the area that will welcome the 500 new jobs it is anticipated to create, over the course of the next five years.
Under the terms of the franchise agreement, 50 Harry Ramsden’s will open across a number of regions including Leeds, Bradford and York by 2018. This will include a mix of full service restaurants with takeaway facilities, as well as the new ‘traditional locals, bringing the iconic brand back to the hearts of towns, cities and suburbs across Yorkshire.
Joe Teixeira, Chief Executive Officer of Harry Ramsden’s comments: “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.”
Teixeira has only been in charge of the helm since 2011 and has seen major refurbishments across their shops including the million pound re-fit of the Bournemouth property, which is now the largest fish and chip restaurant in the world.
Commenting on the Harry Ramsden’s franchise deal, 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 5 years.”
Co-Director, Dimple Patel adds; “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.”
Joe Teixeira notes; “Time and taste move on and whilst I think comparisons will be inevitable, Harry Ramsden’s is looking to the future and the new outlets in Yorkshire will reflect the brand’s evolution. Even as we move forward, though, we continue to embrace the heritage and values of Harry Ramsden himself and this allows us to actively re-engage with customers of old as well as introducing Harry’s to a whole new generation.”
Published: 1 November 2013
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