The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Harry Ramsden’s looks to open Dundee restaurant
A PAIR of English dentists are behind plans to bring a flagship Harry Ramsden’s restaurant to Dundee as part of a major Scottish expansion of the fish-and-chip chain.
Ramsden’s CEO Joe Teixeira, a former professional footballer once on the books at Crystal Palace, yesterday confirmed a franchise to develop the brand in Scotland has been awarded to Seven Seas Ventures Ltd.
The company, which has three outlets in Scotland out of a 24-strong estate, said the new franchisees had previous experience in the healthcare sector.
Seven Seas Ventures Ltd was established at Companies House on February 24 with its registered office given as an address in Giffnock, Glasgow, where agent DA Accountants is based.
The company’s two directors are named as Buckinghamshire-based Satinder Dhami and Berkshire-based Jagdeep Hans, who both list dentist as their stated occupation and head up a chain of practices.
Under the terms of the franchise agreement, a total of 50 new Harry Ramsden’s outlets are to be established north of the border, creating up to 500 jobs across the country in the process.
Plans include a proposed 100+ seater restaurant in Dundee and similarly sized outlets in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Ramsden’s yesterday said it was hunting for a “centrally located” property in Dundee which would benefit from both “destination diners and passing trade”.
A spokesman for Ramsden’s said: “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 1,000ft2 traditional locals in highly populated areas, and both will feature heavily in our roll out plans.”
Mr Teixeira, who has overseen a multi-million-pound investment in the Ramsden’s brand since taking over in 2011, said Scotland was an obvious place for the business to grow.
“Fish and chips is arguably the nation’s favourite takeaway, selling more than 255 million portions each year.
“However, with such a limited presence, we have been unable to satisfy demand in Scotland,” Mr Teixeira said.
“When you consider that, over the past two years, Harry Ramsden’s has been enjoying record sales as a result of 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.”
The company is pursuing expansion plans in other locations including Yorkshire, where a similar franchise agreement has been struck, and is in the early stages of a partnership with motorway services provider Welcome Break.
Mr Teixeira added: “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.”