Devon business named one of the UK's top fish and chip marketers

Harbourside Fish and Chips in Plymouth has been shortlisted for excellence in marketing as part of the 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish.

The popular business is recognised for having a strong focus on catering for customers with food allergies, including receiving a ‘Gluten Free Accreditation’ and is a strong supporter of National Fish and Chip Day held every Summer.

The full shortlist for the Marketing Innovation Award (one of 14 overall award categories) is:

·        Harbourside Fish and Chips, Plymouth, Devon   
·        Mister C's, Selby, North Yorkshire
·        Nana Jan's, Buckshaw Village, Chorley, Lancashire          
·        Papa's Fish and Chips with branches in Cleethorpes, North Lincolnshire; Hull, East Yorkshire and Scarborough, North Yorkshire
·        Sea and Spud, Petersfield, Hampshire
·        The Fish Hoose, Thornton, Fife

To reach this stage of the competition, Harbourside Fish and Chips have been assessed against a wide variety of judging criteria, including audience segmentation, marketing budget allocation, promotional activity planning and implementation and the resultant impact for the business over the past year.

Judges will make further in-depth visits to review marketing innovation practices, whilst also appraising the level of customer service and quality of the fish and chips on offer. This final stage of judging will determine the national winner who will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held in London in January 2019.

Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: “As competition intensifies between the increasingly wide variety of casual dining and takeaway food businesses across the UK, fish and chip shops and restaurants have to keep ahead of the curve by cleverly marketing their business and products to ensure they appeal to both their loyal customers and new patrons.

“The calibre of this year’s entrants is second to none. They have demonstrated some truly unique marketing strategies, creative thinking and the ingenuity required to set their businesses apart from competitors. While selling a great portion of fish and chips is the cornerstone for any business in the trade, those who have harnessed the power of effective marketing are really reaping the rewards in a fiercely competitive industry.”

Anna Bengtsson Senior Brand Manager at award sponsor Pukka Pies, said: “For the fish and chip industry to continue to grow and succeed in the UK, it is vital that individual businesses invest in best-in-class marketing activity. We sponsor this award category because we are committed to supporting the industry, and encouraging those in it to strive for excellence throughout all their marketing.

“The six finalists this year have all demonstrated passion and creative flair for innovative thinking as part of their marketing strategies, setting a high standard for their industry peers to aspire to. I look forward to seeing who will be judged the overall winner of this important award.”

The winner of the Marketing Innovation Award will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards’ 31st anniversary ceremony in London on 24 January 2019.

For more information about the awards visit: http://www.fishandchipawards.com/ or follow @fishnchipawards / #fishnchipawards on Twitter

For more information about fish and chips: www.fishisthedish.co.uk/win/national-fish-chip-awards or follow @fishisthedish.