The company, which also owns the Deep Blue and 149 fish and chips brands, sold nine Deep Blue sites between October 2024 and May 2025 as part of an ongoing strategic disposal programme that began last year, and which is designed to focus investment and growth on the Harry Ramsden’s brand.
In the company’s accounts for the year to 24 September 2024, group turnover fell 9.8% to £22.9m, down from £25.4m in 2023. Gross profit dropped 7% to £15.8m (down from £17m the previous year) but gross margins improved to 69%, up from 66.9% the prior year.
EBITDA before exceptional items, impairment and share-based payments rose 4.8% to £2.2m, up from £2.1m in 2023.
The group narrowed its operating loss from £2.6m to £885,000 and posted a pre-tax loss of £2.2m, compared with £3.6m in 2023.
Deep Blue Restaurants is the largest operator of fish and chips restaurants in the UK and currently operates eight Harry’s Ramsden’s restaurants. It refurbished its Brighton site earlier this year.
It said that labour shortages improved over the course of the year and that it had taken steps to attract new staff, including reviewing pay rates, improving staff benefits and improving upskilling and training programmes.
Writing in the report CEO James Fleming, who took over the role in May 2025, says: “As in prior years, global events, the cost-of-living crisis and food cost inflation continued to present headwinds to trading in the first three quarters of FY 2025. Despite this, performance has been robust.
“Looking at the sites on a like-for-like basis (to account for the disposal of some stores), the group is trading in line with the budget set at the start of the year.
“Continued successes with the franchising and licensing of the Harry Ramsden’s brand have further driven revenue and profitability across the group.”
He adds that in April this year the group decided to recruit a specialist specifically to oversee franchising and licensing in the future.