Chips are down for Britain’s fish and chip shops

There is nothing more British than the fish and chip shop. They have served the nation almost single handedly over two world wars and every other major event the country has seen in the past 100 or so years and they are as intimately associated with the country and the culture as anything.

But the future for many of them look as stormy and uncertain as at any time previously with the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) estimating that up to 3000 fish and chip shops could close for good in 2022 because of the difficulties in front of them.

Andrew Crook, the President of the NFFF said: “Our members are facing a perfect storm of rising costs and supply shortages.”

Sunflower oil, used to fry fish and chips, has risen by 47% in recent weeks as has the usual substitute, Palm oil, which has tripled in the same time.

Mr Crook said: “half of my member’s sunflower oil comes from Ukraine so the Russian invasion has not just forced these prices up but also the price of Palm oil too because everyone is trying to buy as much as they can.”

Palm oil Price

The price of Palm oil is also being negatively impacted by an export ban from Indonesia who supply 20% of the UK’s palm oil supplies which forced the price up even more.

While this is going on the cost of other basics such as beef dripping and the fish itself is also rising precipitously so a lot of shops are looking at cheaper alternatives from the traditional haddock and cod to species such as hake.

The Russia/Ukraine conflict is also having an impact on the price of fish with 40% of the UK’s supplies usually coming from Russian waters. Due to a tariff of 35% on Russian caught fish now suppliers are trying to source alternatives from Iceland and Norway which is also driving the prices up precipitously.

Andrew Crook, a fish fryer himself, said: “My business is going to struggle to get through because consumers want to concentrate on price now. Even though I’ve been in business for 22 years, it is as difficult a time as I’ve known.

“It’s more than just a job for many of us who’ve taken on family and small businesses.”

Costs are also rising for the fishing fleets themselves too with the rising cost of fish not keeping pace with the cost of fuel which European fishing fleets get a government subsidy for, which British fishers do not.

Despite this, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Like many sectors, the fishing industry is facing challenges as a result of global fuel prices.

“Marine voyages relief provides eligible vessels with 100% relief on their fuel duty costs, and we continue to engage with the industry to discuss ongoing challenges and potential mitigations.”

With costs rising everywhere within an industry and for every part of it, life is looking tough for fish and chips shops now.

So much so that some will fear for their immediate future which is why they should look to get some free expert advice from someone like BusinessRescueExpert!