A popular local fish and chip shop has been sold to a small-scale chain for almost £1 million months after its owners shut up shop following cost hikes. Beetons in Guernsey was opened by Kim and Andy Ashplant in 2000 and named best on the island the following year by BBC chefs Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright as part of their Two Fat Ladies programme.

News of its closure this May – linked to “staffing challenges and rising costs” – was unsurprisingly met with an outpouring of sadness from locals, with long-time customers praising the “wonderful staff” and “fabulous food”.

Months after Beetons served its last chippie dinner, it was sold to a smallscale UK chain for £975,000, however, with operational control handed to the owner of Merchants, which runs two existing shops in the West Midlands. Merchants owner Anthony Akathiotis, whose videos publicising his business with the help of social media stars have hit over 30 million views, said he was a long-time fan of the Channel Island’s favourite chippie.

“We have come [to Guernsey] numerous times a year for probably 15 years and we’ve always wanted a shop over there,” Mr Akathiotis told the Guernsey Press.

“We get our fish and chips from Beetons when we are there – it’s like a busman’s holiday, they were the best on the island. We found out they were retiring, and then [it’s just been about] negotiating.”

As well as boosting the profile of its chippies through savvy social media campaigns, Merchants has won accolades, including the Seafish Friers Quality Award in 1996 and 1998.

Mr Akathiotis added: “The name is staying. It’s going to be called Merchants@Beetons. As a family, we’ve been in this game for that 50 years. We’ve got a few tweaks to make to the menu, a few different products, but we’re not reinventing the wheel.

“Andy and Kim are lovely people and did a great job there, so we want to keep their legacy going as well. I just love Guernsey, it’s a great vibe. I love the sense of community. It’s the sort of place [where] if you work hard you do well.

“We have had staff in our shops for 20 years [and] one of them will be coming out with me as I go back and forth to get the shop up and running and then we just want to train as many people as possible out there.”

Fish and chip shops have been among the small businesses impacted by soaring energy costs in recent years, with fryers hit especially hard by the Russia–Ukraine conflict, which disrupted supply chains for key ingredients including cooking oil and white fish.

Businesses have had no choice but to pass costs down to their customers, with analysis from BusinessComparison revealing this autumn that the average price of a sausage and chips has risen by 120% since 2014, while cod and chips jumped from £4.50 to over £9.50 in the same timeframe.