Seasonal fish & chip shop, heart of Matlock Bath

Key features

• Around £190,000 annual turnover across a 31-week season
• Easter to end of October trading, mostly staff-operated
• Conservation-area pitch on the main tourist street in Matlock Bath
• Resin-bound sea-life floors and full-wall mountain murals throughout
• Three-pan range plus full equipment list, all well maintained

About this business

A genuinely original fish & chip shop in the centre of Matlock Bath — one of the country's oldest and most-visited tourist destinations, set in the Peak District. Last year's turnover was around £190,000 across a 31-week Easter-to-October season, averaging roughly £56,000 a month, and achieved while the shop is mostly staff-run. The vendor is selling due to relocation and family commitments, leaving a clear opening for an owner-operator to take a strong seasonal business and push it further.

Trading figures

The seller has informed us that last year's turnover was approximately £190,000, achieved across the Easter-to-end-of-October season — roughly 31 weeks of trading, averaging in the region of £56,000 a week month-on-month. The shop is mostly staff-run, so an owner-operator willing to put their own hours in has a direct route to lifting both takings and margin.

Trading hours

Monday to Sunday: 11.00am – 9.00pm, Easter to end of October. There is scope for additional trading beyond the current pattern.

Business premises

A well-maintained property with a fully glazed double-bay frontage and a central double entrance door opening into a large, airy and welcoming interior. The fit-out is the standout feature: recently installed resin-bound floors carry life-size images of sea life that give the impression of standing on the sea bed, and the walls continue the theme with full-height murals of mountain scenery, open seas and fishing trawlers. The retail area seats around 20 across several substantial rustic wooden tree-stump tables, paired with matching log benches and clear glass seating. The service area is spacious and tastefully fully tiled, laid out with proper work-flow, and runs through to a well-fitted potato room at the rear with tiled floors and walls. A truly original and impressive concern.

Trade equipment

Comprehensively kitted out and maintained to a high standard, with the six bespoke wooden log tables and benches and ten-plus glass chairs forming a centrepiece you simply won't see elsewhere (see photos). The working kit includes a three-pan frying range, two microwave ovens, a stainless steel double-door fridge, a double-door drinks fridge, an EPOS till, a six-pot bain-marie, an oil filtration machine, a defrosting fridge, a Bold chipper and peeler, fly zappers, a stainless steel double sink, a commercial four-burner gas hob, a chest freezer, a batter mixer and an upright fridge. None of the machinery has been tested by Rosens — buyers should commission an independent inspection.

Accommodation

Upstairs there is a staff bathroom, a separate modernised private bathroom, and two good-sized additional rooms currently used for stock. With a straightforward reorganisation those rooms could be reconfigured for residential use.

Trading position

Set in a conservation area on an extremely busy main street that is typically thronging with people, right in the thriving heart of one of the country's first and finest tourist destinations. The catchment combines a constant stream of visitors with steady local trade, and there is plenty of free on-street parking alongside nearby public car parks. Surrounding traders include pubs, ice cream parlours, clothing outlets, amusement arcades, souvenir shops and numerous gift shops — the textbook mix for a destination takeaway.

Special remarks

A rare chance to acquire a popular and genuinely distinctive business in one of the country's oldest and most beautiful tourist areas, in the heart of the Peak District. The trading pattern — 31 weeks on, the rest of the year off — already throws off around £190,000 of turnover while running mostly on staff, and there is clear scope to lift the figures further by adding pizza, fried chicken and a delivery option. The sale is genuine: the vendor is relocating and dealing with family commitments. For a full-time owner-operator willing to give the business the personal attention it currently doesn't get, the upside is direct and visible. Inspection is strongly recommended.