Colmans Fish and Chips

What Colmans Fish and Chips does

Colmans Fish and Chips is a family-owned traditional British fish and chip restaurant business founded in 1905 and headquartered on Ocean Road in South Shields, United Kingdom. The company operates three physical locations: the original flagship restaurant at 176-186 Ocean Road (operating since 1926), Colmans Seafood Temple (opened 2017 inside the historic Ghandis bandstand on South Shields Beach), and Colmans at Fenwick — a concession inside the Fenwick Newcastle department store that launched as a trial in March 2025 and became permanent on February 28, 2026. The business serves general consumers and families seeking high-quality traditional fish and chips, with a walk-in dine-in policy at Ocean Road and additional takeaway, click-and-collect, and home-delivery service.

The company's product is built around traditional culinary craft rather than proprietary technology. Core offerings are wild fish sourced from sustainable fishing grounds, fried in additive-free vegetable oil, with leftover oil recycled into biofuel. Colmans was the first Fish and Chip shop in England to gain MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification and the first winner of the Good Catch Award for sustainability. The technology stack is minimal: a Preoday-powered online ordering platform for click-and-collect and delivery within a 3-mile radius, plus standard website and social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, TripAdvisor). There are no proprietary software systems, AI capabilities, or app products disclosed.

The revenue model is straightforward restaurant and takeaway operations across three locations. Pricing is menu-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical storefronts and an online ordering channel, supplemented by a channel-partner relationship with Fenwick for the Newcastle concession. The company is privately held by the Colman family across five generations under the leadership of owner Richard Ord, with no external investors, parent company, or PE backing identified. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Colmans Fish and Chips

Legal name

Colmans Fish & Chips Ltd.

Website

https://colmansfishandchips.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colmans Fish and Chips is a family-owned traditional fish and chip restaurant business founded in 1905, operating three locations in the North East of England (South Shields flagship, Seafood Temple, and Fenwick Newcastle concession) plus online ordering and delivery, serving local consumers and visitors seeking sustainable, high-quality British fish and chips.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525), Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Breaded/Battered & Fried Seafood Products (Frozen Convenience) (AFANADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Traditional fish and chips
• Seafood restaurant dining
• Takeaway food service
• Online food ordering
• Sustainable seafood sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

South Shields

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Colmans operates as a dine-in fish and chip restaurant at its Ocean Road, South Shields location and at its Fenwick Newcastle concession. Customers are seated on a walk-in basis (no reservations taken at Ocean Road).
2. Takeaway and Delivery: Colmans offers takeaway service with online ordering for collection or delivery. The restaurant has dedicated takeaway hours and partners with delivery couriers for home delivery within a specified radius.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colmans Fish and Chips operates traditional fish and chip restaurants serving dine-in, takeaway, and home-delivery customers from locations in South Shields and Newcastle, North East England. The business sells wild fish from sustainable fishing grounds fried in additive-free vegetable oil, complemented by locally sourced produce and a seafood-focused menu. It supplements its physical restaurants with an online ordering service for click-and-collect and courier delivery within a roughly three-mile radius of the Ocean Road branch.

Product overview

Colmans Fish & Chips operates as a multi-location traditional fish and chip restaurant business with three distinct establishments: the flagship Ocean Road restaurant in South Shields (operating since 1926), the Colmans Seafood Temple (opened 2017 in a historic beachfront bandstand), and the Colmans at Fenwick concession in Newcastle (launched 2025, made permanent 2026). The company also offers an online ordering and delivery service as an add-on capability. All locations emphasize sustainable sourcing, wild fish from managed fishing grounds, and traditional preparation methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colmans Seafood Temple: Seafood restaurant opened in 2017, located in the local landmark 'Ghandis Temple' on South Shields Beach.

Products and services

• Colmans Fish & Chips Ocean Road Restaurant The original flagship restaurant at 176-186 Ocean Road, South Shields, serving traditional fish and chips and a seafood-focused menu to walk-in dine-in and takeaway customers on a no-reservation basis.
• Colmans Seafood Temple A seafood restaurant opened in 2017, located in the local landmark 'Ghandis Temple' (a 1931-built bandstand on South Shields Beach), offering Colmans' seafood-focused menu in a beachfront setting.
• Colmans at Fenwick Newcastle Concession A permanent concession inside Fenwick's Newcastle department store, Colmans' first location outside South Tyneside, offering fish and chips and seafood to department store visitors and shoppers in central Newcastle.
• Online Ordering for Collection and Delivery Preoday-powered online ordering service that lets customers select dishes, pay securely online, and choose either collection from the Ocean Road branch or home courier delivery within approximately three miles.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fenwick (Newcastle)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2025Colmans has a concession inside Fenwick's Newcastle department store. The partnership launched in March 2025 as a trial and became permanent from February 28, 2026. The expansion was backed by a six-figure investment and marked Colmans' first move outside South Tyneside. The partnership reportedly welcomed thousands of visitors and created dozens of jobs, arriving during Colmans' centenary year celebrations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Magpie Cafe: Long-established, award-winning fish and chip restaurant in Whitby operating as a destination seaside dining spot. Comparable on product mix and emphasis on freshly prepared, quality seafood.
• Wright Brothers: UK oyster bar and seafood restaurant group with multiple sites, comparable as a quality-led seafood restaurant chain emphasising provenance and sustainable sourcing.
• Harry Ramsden's: Iconic British fish and chip chain founded in 1928 with a similar heritage positioning and traditional fish and chip core offering. The most directly comparable peer in the UK fish and chip restaurant category.
• Rockfish: UK seafood restaurant group founded by Mark Hix operating multiple casual and dine-in seafood restaurants, primarily in southern England. Directly comparable as a multi-site UK seafood restaurant brand.

Regional players

• Franco Manca: UK casual restaurant chain built around a focused, quality-led menu. Comparable as a single-category casual dining brand operating across UK regional markets, though in the pizza category.
• Prezzo: Multi-site UK casual restaurant chain operating across regional UK high streets. Comparable in multi-site casual dining operations and high-street footfall dynamics, though in the Italian category.
• Honest Burgers: UK casual restaurant chain built around quality ingredients and provenance in a single menu category. Comparable as a quality-focused UK casual dining brand with similar single-category menu emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Wagamama: Large UK casual dining chain built around fresh, sustainably sourced food. Comparable as a national casual dining operator with similar quality and provenance positioning, though in a different cuisine.
• Rick Stein's Restaurants: Well-known UK seafood-focused hospitality brand with a broader portfolio (restaurants, cookery school, retail products). Comparable in seafood category leadership but at materially larger scale and national footprint.
• Bill's: UK casual dining chain with multiple regional locations and a quality-focused, provenance-led menu. Comparable as a multi-site UK casual restaurant brand, though with a broader menu mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colmansseafood
• Facebookfacebook.com/colmansfishandchips

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colmans Fish and Chips