Home Food & Drink Chip Shop of the Year 2019 put on market by adventure-seeking owners

Chip Shop of the Year 2019 put on market by adventure-seeking owners

Inglenook Fish and Chips

The owners of a Yorkshire Dales fish and chip shop and café named “Chip Shop of the Year 2019” have put their business on the market. Kelly Johnson and Tim Hinley have appointed the national business transfer agent Blacks Business Brokers to find a new operator for Inglenook Fish & Chips in the picturesque North Yorkshire village of Ingleton.

Blacks Business Brokers is marketing the business with an asking price of £99,950 to take over the lease, plus annual rent of £18,000. The property also includes a two-bedroom apartment and in its most recent financial year the business generated sales of more than £116,000 based on short opening hours to suit the owners’ lifestyles.

Inglenook Fish & Chips is located in the The Square, in the centre of Ingleton, and is the only fish and chip shop in the village. According to the owners the premises have operated as a fish and chip shop for more than 70 years.

Ms Johnson and Mr Hinley took over running the business in 2016, having never previously had any experience in the fish frying trade. As keen outdoor pursuits enthusiasts the village’s location on the western fringes of the Yorkshire Dales, and on the doorstep of the Lake District national park, was a major factor in their decision to move to Ingleton and take over the business.


Having run Inglenook Fish & Chips successfully as a lifestyle business, the couple’s sense of adventure has once again overtaken them and they now wish to sell the business, pack up their rucksacks and go travelling. They have, however, confirmed that they will continue to run the business, which was voted “Fish and Chip Shop of the Year 2019” by readers of the Lancaster Guardian, as usual until a new operator is in place.

The business is located in the ground floor of a large detached property. It is fully equipped, with a chipper, rumbler, three-pan range, electric hob, microwaves, freezers, fridge, drinks chiller and other equipment included in the sale.

As well as catering to the takeaway market, Inglenook Fish & Chips has indoor seating for up to 15 customers. Externally an alfresco dining area can seat another 15 customers during the summer months.

The first floor of the property houses a two-bedroom flat, which could either be used as owners’ accommodation or let out to provide an additional source of income. The flat is accessed by its own, separate entrance and includes a fitted kitchen, family bathroom and a lounge overlooking the village square.

Inglenook Fish & Chips has been run to suit the owners’ outdoor lifestyles and currently opens at teatimes only on Wednesdays and Thursdays and at lunchtimes and teatimes on Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed from Sunday to Tuesday.

According to Ms Johnson there would be significant scope for a new owner to increase sales by introducing longer opening hours, and potentially by extending the menu. She says she believes the business has previously held a licence to sell alcohol and that reintroducing this could provide another source of income.

John Gaskell, director at Blacks Business Brokers, said, “Inglenook Fish & Chips has provided a good living for our clients, who have run it by themselves since taking over. The quality of their product is reflected in the fact they have been named Chip Shop of the Year 2019 but there is also undoubted potential for a new owner who wants to drive the business forward to increase sales significantly.

“There is no local competition and the location could hardly be better, with not just a loyal local clientele but also custom from the many tourists who stay in the village to visit the famous Ingleton Falls or to walk the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The inclusion of a flat is an added bonus, meaning a new owner could relocate to Ingleton and not have to worry about accommodation or, if they already lived locally, it would offer the possibility of additional income either from long-term tenants or holiday lets.”