Harry Ramsden's facts for kids
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| Industry | Fast food restaurants |
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| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Harry Ramsden (1888–1963) |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
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Key people
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James Low (CEO) |
| Products | Fish and chips and themed dishes |
| Parent | Deep Blue Restaurants Ltd |
Harry Ramsden's is a famous restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. They are well-known for serving delicious fish and chips, along with other tasty dishes. The company was started by a man named Harry Ramsden in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, in 1928. He sold the business to his partner in 1954.
Since then, Harry Ramsden's has been owned by several different companies. As of 2025, there are about 8 Harry Ramsden's restaurants across the UK.
Contents
The Beginning of Harry Ramsden's
Harry Ramsden, who was born in 1888, started his business in 1928. He began by selling fish and chips from a small wooden hut in Guiseley, northern England. Just three years later, he moved into a brand new building. This new restaurant was very fancy, with soft carpets, wooden walls, and sparkling chandeliers.
The original wooden hut was taken down in 2012 because it was old and contained asbestos. The main restaurant next to it was once famous for being the biggest fish and chip shop in the world! It could seat 250 people and served almost a million customers every year. Interestingly, Harry Corbett, the creator of the famous puppet Sooty, was Harry Ramsden's nephew. He used to play the piano in his uncle's first restaurant.
In 1954, Harry Ramsden sold his business to his long-time partner, Eddie Stokes. He sold it for £37,500, which was a lot of money back then! Later, in 1965, the company was sold again to Associated Fisheries.
Growing the Restaurant Chain
In 1988, a company called Merryweathers bought Harry Ramsden's. At this time, it was still just the one original restaurant in Guiseley. The new owners, John Barnes and Richard Richardson, had a big plan. They wanted to turn the single restaurant into an international chain.
In 1989, the company decided to offer shares to the public on the London Stock Exchange. This meant people could buy a part of the company. Many people wanted to invest, and the offer was very popular. Over the next ten years, Harry Ramsden's grew quickly. New restaurants opened all over the UK and in other countries. You could find Harry Ramsden's in places like Hong Kong, Australia, Epcot in the USA, and Saudi Arabia.
A company called Granada, which runs motorway services, made a deal to open smaller Harry Ramsden's kiosks. This led to Granada buying Harry Ramsden's for £20 million in October 1999. When Granada took over, Harry Ramsden's had four company-owned restaurants and many franchised ones. Granada helped Harry Ramsden's open locations at motorway service stations.
In 2000, another company called Compass joined with Granada. Under Compass, Harry Ramsden's expanded even more. They opened kiosks at motorway service stations, in schools, Post Office canteens, and even at holiday resorts like Butlins and Haven Holidays. The last Harry Ramsden's at a motorway service station closed in August 2022.
In 1999, Harry Ramsden's also opened a quick-service kiosk at Walt Disney World's Epcot park in Florida. It was part of the United Kingdom pavilion and served traditional fish and chips. The Harry Ramsden's name stayed there until 2006, when it changed to Yorkshire County Fish Shop. Even with the new name, Harry Ramsden's still ran the place until 2010.
While other fish and chip chains existed before, Harry Ramsden's website used to say they were "Britain's longest-established restaurant chain."
New Owners and Changes
By April 2006, the company that owned Harry Ramsden's, SSP, was sold to a Swedish company called EQT AB. Under SSP, Harry Ramsden's had to compete with other restaurant brands for money to grow.
In 2008, SSP hired an expert named Chris Sullivan to help improve the business. In 2009, he made big changes to the food. He made the quality better, reduced how long customers had to wait, and removed menu items that didn't fit a fish and chip shop. These changes helped sales go up, and SSP decided to sell Harry Ramsden's.
On January 19, 2010, SSP sold Harry Ramsden's to Boparan Ventures Limited (BVL). This company is owned by Ranjit Boparan.
BVL had big plans to open 100 more Harry Ramsden's restaurants in the next five years, creating 600 new jobs. However, on November 29, 2011, it was announced that the original Harry Ramsden's restaurant in Guiseley would close. The owners said it was losing money. The restaurant closed on December 19, 2011. In February 2012, the Guiseley restaurant was sold to the Wetherby Whaler group and reopened under their name on May 22, 2012.
BVL continued to invest in the Harry Ramsden's brand. Their restaurant in Bournemouth briefly held the title of the World's Largest Fish and Chip Restaurant. It could seat 417 people across its restaurant, cafe, and outdoor terrace. However, another restaurant surpassed it in 2017.
In August 2019, Boparan Ventures Limited sold Harry Ramsden's to a rival company called Deep Blue Restaurants. Deep Blue took over the 34 Harry Ramsden's locations, including 15 standalone restaurants and many franchised ones in the UK and Malaysia.
Undercover Boss Episode
In 2010, Harry Ramsden's was featured on a TV show called Undercover Boss. The CEO of the company at the time, Marija Simovic, pretended to be a new employee. She worked in different Harry Ramsden's locations, like Swindon and Blackpool. She wanted to understand why the company was having problems. At the end of the show, Simovic promised to make big changes to help the company succeed. She also promoted several employees who had impressed her. Simovic left the company in 2011.
Other Products
The Harry Ramsden's brand is also used for other food products. You can find Harry Ramsden's tinned mushy peas made by Princes Group. Also, Birds Eye sells frozen fish under the Harry Ramsden's name.
See also
- List of fish and chip restaurants
- List of seafood restaurants
