THEY fed us through two world wars but now, after two tough years, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could spell the end for our Great British Chippies.
Rising costs of fish, sunflower oil and wheat caused by the war could put a third of our fish and chip shops out of business.
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Owners were already reeling from the Covid lockdowns then soaring electricity prices, and now Vladmir Putin has wrought further misery.
More than 40 per cent of the world’s white fish is from Russia, but our tariff on its export to the UK is up 35 per cent as part of our sanctions against Putin’s regime.
Ukraine supplies 46 per cent of global sunflower oil and a lot of the wheat used in fish batter but war is wreaking havoc with supplies. In yet another blow, today also sees VAT here raised from 12.5 per cent to its pre-pandemic level of 20 per cent.
Three-thousand of our 10,000 chippies are predicted to go bust in the next five years, says the industry’s trade association, with 880 up for sale as owners try to get out.
Yet many shops refuse to be battered into submission and are urging us all to get out there and Save Our Chippies.
We hear from some of these proud friers . . .
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‘We may open just peak times’
STUART ATKINSON, 60, has been forced to mothball one of his three shops in Scotland. He says:
“I’ve worked in this business since I was a child, growing up in a fish and chip shop.
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“I’ve seen a crisis before but this is the worst situation ever for the industry. After surviving two years of Covid, all our costs are going up.
“I have three shops and one of them has been mothballed for two months. Struggling margins meant that it just wasn’t washing its face.
“The Round ‘O’, in Arbroath, is a town centre shop and some retail units around it had shut during lockdown so we didn’t have enough footfall. Then our energy supplier ripped up our contract and at the new rate we couldn’t afford to run the shop any more.
“I have another shop in Arbroath, The Cairnie, and the North Street Chip Shop in Forfar. I know nothing else. It’s a case of planning for survival, with us maybe looking at operating only at peak times.”
‘Hard work and we need staff’
ANDREW CROOK, 46, is president of the National Federation of Fish Friers and owns Skippers of Euxton, in Chorley, Lancs. He says:
“Fish and chip shops have fed the nation through two world wars. It’s an iconic dish and we hope our customers stay with us through the rising prices.
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“The pandemic, inflation, rising fuel prices, VAT going up and the effects of the conflict in Ukraine are going to put people out of business.
“The price of white fish is going up because so much supply is Russian. It would be good if the public became more adventurous in trying out local fish such as gurnard. But the truth is every-one wants cod or haddock.
“Like many parts of the hospitality sector, fish and chip shops are seeking staff. It’s a fun industry, with a lot of families involved, but it does mean working late and on weekends.
“Our problems, though, are just business ones. You have to think about the people of Ukraine and understand there are reasons for prices going up.”
‘We saw a light then war came’
CHRIS PITHY, 34, took over Linfords, in Market Deeping, Lincs, in May 2019, less than a year before the pandemic struck. He says:
“I had worked at the shop since I was 16, so when I bought the business I knew what I was doing.
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“When Covid-19 struck two years ago, everything changed. But the silver lining is that lockdown pushed us into allowing customers to order online.
“Now, though, most people prefer to queue like they always did before. It’s a tradition. We saw the light at the end of the tunnel when the Covid restrictions were lifted but the war in Ukraine changed everything again.
“Our cod costs have increased by 45 per cent since October and most of that happened in the past week. We have had to put up our prices. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here next summer.
“Our regular cod was £6.80 but it is now £7.90, which means I have swallowed some of the increased costs rather than passing them all on to the customers.”
‘Smaller portions for old price’
TIM BARNES, 44, is the owner of Krispies in Exmouth, Devon, voted the UK’s No1 fish and chip shop in 2019. He says:
“I’ve owned Krispies for 22 years and when the pandemic struck I thought that was the worst event in the shop’s history.
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“But once we managed to diversify and to recover, we faced a perfect storm of rising prices like I’ve never seen. Our sunflower oil is produced in Ukraine, so soon stocks will run out. They also produce a lot of wheat, so our batter prices will rise.
“Even chicken prices are rising, as Ukraine produces the wheat they are fed on. On top of that we have National Insurance rising, VAT back to 20 per cent and the minimum wage rising, which I agree with.
“Krispies is going to feel the pinch but will adapt. We’ve put up our standard price of fish and chips to £10 but we are giving customers the option to downsize to a smaller portion at the old price.”
