Substantial Victorian freehold fish & chip shop with 3-bed house, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Key features

• Freehold premises plus self-contained 3-bedroom house
• £152,750 net turnover from just 43 weeks' trading
• Same English family ownership for 25 years
• 3-pan Martyn Edwards refurbished island frying range
• Prominent town-centre pitch in Berwick-upon-Tweed

About this business

A long-established freehold fish & chip shop, restaurant and takeaway in the heart of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the same English family ownership for 25 years. Currently trading just 6.5 days a week on a deliberately limited menu and short hours, the business still produced a net yearly turnover of £152,750 from only 43 weeks of trading to March 2021 — averaging £3,530 a week. The freehold also includes a fully self-contained three-bedroom house, refurbished to an exceptional standard, sitting both adjacent and above the shop. A genuine turnkey opportunity for more energetic owners willing to extend the hours, broaden the menu, and unlock the latent demand the current owners have chosen not to chase.

Trading figures

Trading account figures to March 2021 — covering only 43 weeks of trading — produced a net yearly turnover of £152,750, averaging sales of £3,530 per week. That figure is achieved on a deliberately constrained operation: virtually all takeaway sales, a very limited menu, no pizza, no kebabs and no delivery service. Pizza, kebabs and delivery are all in great demand locally, and adding any of them — alongside opening on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the shop currently shuts — represents direct, measurable upside for an operator willing to put the hours in.

Trading hours

The shop currently trades 6.5 days per week, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Opening hours are 12.00 noon to 8.00pm, extending to 9.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Main trading periods are seasonal, from November to March. The current owners do not sell pizza or kebabs and do not run a delivery service.

Business premises

A prominent, purpose-built single-fronted traditional fish & chip shop in the town centre, fitted and equipped to a good standard and extremely well laid out for easy trading. A full-width service counter encloses a very spacious frying area, with overhead illuminated menu signs above. To the rear sits a 48-cover restaurant, laid out to complement the rest of the premises. Behind that, the preparation and working facilities lead out to a covered courtyard, external storage, a potato store room and a walk-in cold room. The premises form the trading half of a substantial two-storey Victorian freehold building.

Trade equipment

The hero piece is a fully refurbished three-pan Martyn Edwards island frying range, well maintained and regularly serviced. Alongside it sits a complimentary inventory of all the other equipment, fixtures and fittings expected of a shop of this type, plus a quality selection of tables and chairs furnishing the 48-cover restaurant. Items have not been formally tested — buyers should commission an independent inspection.

Accommodation

A fully self-contained three-bedroom house, built both adjacent to and above the business premises, and finished to a standard well above the average for trade accommodation. The residence is very spacious, with three bedrooms, a recently re-fitted contemporary kitchen/breakfast room, two bathroom suites and open-plan living areas, decorated throughout to an exceptional standard. A large garden sits to the rear. The house has clear rental potential as a source of additional income for any buyer who doesn't need it for their own use.

Trading position

Right in the heart of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a renowned market town serving a densely populated residential catchment and a wide ring of outlying districts. The A1 trunk road is easily accessed and Scotland is within easy travelling distance. The local population expands considerably during peak season, with thousands of visitors both staying in the area and passing through — adding a substantial seasonal layer on top of the year-round local trade.

Special remarks

A long-established freehold fish & chip shop in the same English family ownership for 25 years, complemented by an exceptional, fully refurbished three-bedroom self-contained freehold house. The business premises are presented to a high standard, making this a virtually turnkey opportunity with very little capital expenditure required at the outset. The growth case is unusually clear-cut: extend the hours, open the days the shop currently shuts, and add the pizza, kebab and delivery channels the current owners have chosen not to run. For more energetic ownership hands, the upside is obvious and within reach. Inspection is strongly recommended to appreciate both the standard of the accommodation and the underlying potential of the business.