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THE first restaurant opened by the iconic fish and chip chain Harry Ramsden's is due to close after 83 years in business.
The 24 staff at the branch in Guiseley, Leeds, would be offered alternative jobs elsewhere but compulsory redundancies "may become necessary", the company said.
The Guiseley branch was the first to be opened by Harry Ramsden's, in 1928 and it was Grimsby which sent him the first consignment of cod, haddock and skate.
In fact Harry Ramsden looked to the North Lincolnshire port for most of his fish while he ran the business.
The company said the brand was strong nationally, but was not immune to challenging economic conditions so it had launched a 30-day consultation period.
Joe Teixeira, Harry Ramsden's chief executive, said the company's Guiseley branch was making a loss and would need "considerable investment" before it could potentially become profitable again. Mr Teixeira said the decision to begin talks on closing the restaurant was "not taken lightly".
"But we have to face the economic reality that it is loss-making," he said. “I appreciate that this news will be deeply upsetting and stressful for our staff.
"We are giving them as much information as possible and doing whatever we can to help them through what will be a traumatic period for them."
Harry Ramsden's was bought by Birmingham poultry tycoon Ranjit Boparan, of Boparan Ventures Ltd, in January 2010. He also bought Five Star Fish of Grimsby of last year.There are currently 35 Harry Ramsden's restaurants in the UK, including the branch in Guiseley.
Harry Ramsden's said it was reviewing other possible sites in Yorkshire for new restaurants, as part of a plan to modernise and re-position the brand. It added that there were plans to expand extensively throughout the UK.
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