Chippy goes part time to beat cost of living crisis
OWNER READY TO WORK AS BUILDER’S LABOURER
THE owners of a Gwynedd chippy have gone part-time in a desperate bid to keep the business afloat during the cost-of-living crisis.
Faced with eye-watering price increases, they’re now looking for building work to subsidise their Trish & Chips shop in Blaenau Ffestiniog.
“I will do whatever it takes to keep the shop open,” said Trisha Jones. “It’s about survival now.”
She plans to work as a “labourer” for partner Mark Roberts, a skilled joiner, on construction jobs in the Conwy Valley, where the couple live.
Already this year the price of cod and haddock has climbed 60%, while blocks of vegetable oil have climbed from £10 to £23.50. But the most painful rise has been in the cost of gas and electricity: Trish & Chips has seen its combined bill soar from £1,000 to £7,000 per month.
Facing such massive running costs, they took the dramatic decision to close at Trish & Chips at lunchtime and open only in the evenings. This has freed them up to seek a second income via a new business, His and Hers Handy Services.
As Mark is a fully qualified joiner with 30 years plus in the construction industry, he can take on jobs such plastering, laying laminate flooring and erecting fences. They are also willing to undertake smaller tasks like cleaning gutters, changing toilet seats and assembling flat pack furniture. They will also accept cleaning jobs.
The couple, from Trefriw, have run Trish & Chips (formerly Ian’s Fish Restaurant) for 15 years. As the highest-rated takeaway in Blaenau, according to TripAdvisor, customers say it offers “great value for money” and “fantastic fish and chips”.
“No one knows what’s going to happen with energy prices but we will keep the chip shop open so long as it is able to support itself,” said Trish. “We employ six staff and we want to keep it open for their sakes as well as those of our customers.
“It’s so sad because we worked so hard during the summer to put money by for the winter.
“But this has already been swallowed up by our energy costs.”
Since there is no price cap on business energy, many eateries are feeling the pinch as monthly bills go through the roof. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme gives business owners some financial support with energy bills - but only for six months from October 1.
The National Federation of Fish Fryers (NFFF) said the industry is facing a “perfect storm” of threats. In July the UK government levied a 35% tariff on Russian-caught white fish, which accounts for half of all cod and haddock consumed in Britain.
Lower global fishing quotas are another threat, while Nordic fishing fleets are avoiding Russian fishing grounds following Ukraine’s invasion.
All of which points to fish imports falling next year, said NFFF president Andrew Crook. Already, the cost of an 18kg case of cod has jumped from £140 during the pandemic to around £230.
But, said Mr Cook, it is rising energy costs that is posing an “existential threat” to chippies: one of his own tenants has just closed for this reason.
He wants to see the government step in with taxation solutions, including a cut to the rate of VAT from 20% to 5%.