Punch Taverns poised to open doors of first Harry Ramsden's pub

Punch Taverns will next week open the first in a series of pubs managed by Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurants.

Harry Ramsden’s at Wingerworth pub and kitchen in Chesterfield, a Punch-owned pub, will open to the public on 15 March, as debt-laden Punch rolls out one of the new ideas of chief executive Duncan Garrood, who joined last June.

Under the Harry Ramsden’s concept, the pair will look to retain the local pub identity with a "welcoming and inviting atmosphere for families", a statement from the mid-market restaurant group read.

Harry Ramsden's is owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan, the Yorkshire businessman who took Northern Foods private in 2011.

With Harry Ramsden staff managing all aspects of the pub and kitchen’s day to day operation, the pub will be open all day, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

Garrood, a food franchising specialist, wants to make better use of Punch's under-utilised floor space over the next five years.

He unveiled his new model for the company alongside November's results statement, saying rather than the more active role the group's drinks-led mainstream and value pub segments, a different approach will govern the premium and destination food led segments, which accounts for circa 16% of the core estate, roughly 450 pubs.

"These sectors require specialist skills to maximise the opportunity in these sites and we will continue to work with specialist operators, such as Harry Ramsden's, the iconic British brand, world famous for its fish and chips, and have formed a trading partnership within which we will jointly invest in selected sites across the Punch estate."

Punch plans to invest in up to 500 pubs per year, investing between £250-300m over the next five years.