Growth on the menu for award-winning chippy

A FAMILY fish and chip restaurant business has announced plans to expand across Lancashire after one of its restaurants was named the UK’s best chippy.

Seniors, which had sales of £1.6m in 2011, is targeting new locations in Preston and West Lancashire.

The business, which currently has three restaurants and 90 employees, has grown significantly since opening in Thornton in 2006 with funding from Yorkshire Bank.

 The two-storey new-build restaurant seats 100 people and in January was named the UK’s Fish and Chip Shop of the Year for 2012.

Owner Alastair Horabin, said: “At a time when most traditional fish and chip businesses are seeing sales down 5%-15% year-on-year, we’ve managed to hold our own in the last few years.

“The Lytham restaurant model has proven extremely efficient and we believe there are other areas in the county, particularly in and around Preston and Southport that could support, and would have the appetite for, a Seniors restaurant and takeaway.

“We will be looking at opportunities to expand the business into those areas, subject to the right property becoming available.”

As well as providing funding for the purchase and build of the Thornton restaurant, Yorkshire Bank has been Seniors’ banking partner since 2006.

Kevin Hughes, managing partner at Yorkshire Bank’s Preston Financial Solutions Centre, said: “Seniors  has a clear strategy for further financial growth and we look forward to an opportunity to support Seniors as it looks to expand into new locations in the region.”

Mr Horobin got into the restaurant business when his father Richard, an experienced fish merchant, bought Seniors fish and chip shop in Normoss, Blackpool in 2000.