The Taylor-ed look

A rebrand turned out to be the boost Taylors Fish & Chips in Stockport, Greater Manchester, didn’t realise it needed – doubling takings and breathing new life into a tired restaurant

After nearly six decades in business, Taylors Fish & Chips on Woodley precinct in Stockport had, in owner Anne Wallace’s words, “got tired”. But like many long-standing family-owned businesses, the change didn’t feel obvious – until it was.

It was after the Covid pandemic that the shift became clear. While takeaway orders and click-and-collect surged during lockdowns, the shop’s 50-seater restaurant – once a central part of the business – just didn’t bounce back.

“We own a coffee shop in the same precinct and as soon as we opened that, everyone was sitting in,” Anne says. “But the fish and chip shop just didn’t come back again. It was like a dead space. It made us wonder why, because I didn’t think it was Covid. We realised it was the look and the feel of the place.”

Inside, there was no atmosphere, says Anne, admitting she felt “embarrassed” when she looked around. “You walked in and it was just all white. The seating was wooden tables and chairs all in rows. I thought people were probably getting to the door and thinking, ‘I’ll just take fish and chips home.’ I had stopped seeing these things and thought it was okay.”

As with all restaurants, sit-down customers were vital to the business – not only do they tend to spend more on extras like bread and butter, drinks and desserts, but the profit margins are also stronger thanks to better portion control when serving on a plate.

Unexpected opportunity

The changes that followed were sparked by an unexpected opportunity. Anne’s daughter, then a senior marketing manager at Halfords, happened to have lunch with a branding professional. He mentioned his agency’s initiative to support a small business each year at no cost.

“He’d never worked in the fish and chip industry before, and I think he saw it as something quite unusual,” Anne recalls. What followed was a rebranding process on par with major corporate campaigns. “LEAP was the name of the company and it works with the likes of All Bar One, Worcester Bosch, Vitality — huge companies. And the process we went through was exactly what they would do for them.”

Anne, her husband Robert, shop manager Jamie Toland and four staff members participated in a brand workshop, which Anne admits was out of her comfort zone. “It was way beyond anything we would think of doing. They looked for keywords we were using all the time,” she explains. “They asked Jamie, who’s usually quiet, ’Where do you see the business?’ And he just said, ‘I don’t know really, we just want everyone to love it.’”

That single line became a foundation for the shop’s transformation. From it came their vision: to be the first million-pound fish and chip shop in the area. Their mission? To be locally loved and nationally known. Then came their five values: product, pride, passion, people, and positivity.

Their new brand promise – “make it fresh” – now appears everywhere: on staff uniforms, signage, social media, packaging and its website. A new logo and bold colour palette of blue and orange were introduced, which Anne admits when she first saw it reminded her of the hardware chain B&Q! “All the young ones loved it. I just had to go with it and, actually, it’s worked really well,” she says. 

The shop layout changed too, with the sterile white interior and rigid seating giving way to rich blue booth seating, while the endless rows of dated staff certificates, awards and trophies made way for bold wall graphics and their brand promise. The difference was felt immediately with Anne explaining: “We open at 12, and the customers are now queuing outside. Even on a Tuesday or Wednesday, which were our quieter days, the place is packed. For the business, it’s been a massive change.”

Striking results

Financially, the results have been just as striking. “On the eat-in side, we’ve probably easily doubled turnover,” she says. “It cost about £20,000 to implement all the changes – the seating, new uniforms, branded packaging — and we probably got that back in 12 months. Maybe even less.”

Anne is honest about where things might have gone had they not acted. “I think we would have probably carried on with the takeaway because the eat-in side was just so quiet. Who wants to eat in an empty restaurant?”

For a shop with such history, the transformation was both cosmetic and cultural. Taylors moved to its Woodley premises in the 1980s but the business was founded in 1966 by Anne’s parents in Hattersley. “A good year for football,” she says with a smile, “but an even better year for fish and chips.” Anne left school and went to work in the shop straight away. For the first 20 years, the family worked side by side – including Anne’s brother – until her parents retired. Anne and Robert have now run the shop themselves for the last 40 years.

And while they remain very much at the helm, the future is already taking shape through younger staff like Jamie, who last year won Employee of the Year at the National Fish & Chip Awards. “He’s been brilliant,” Anne says. “He’s been with us since he was 14, he’s 33 now. Anybody who followed the National Fish & Chip Awards knows his story. When I entered him for Employee of the Year I knew he would win – and he deserved it.”

Jamie’s role has grown steadily over the years. “He’s doing more and more, taking over gradually. I think he’s the future and I’m happy with that.”

The menu has evolved too. While traditional fish and chips remains its biggest seller, younger staff have pushed for additions like loaded fries and small fish bites to attract a broader customer base. “It’s not something I’d ever buy,” Anne admits, “but I’m not the potential customer so I had to put my hands up and leave it to them.”

Located on a modest shopping precinct, Taylors benefits from steady footfall and low competition. “There’s only about 20 shops, and it’s not big enough for a Costa or anything like that. But it’s perfect for us. We’re the only fish and chip shop in the area.”

As for that million-pound target? “We’ve not reached it yet,” Anne says. “But like they said during the rebrand, you’ve got to have something to aim for. I’d say we’re well on our way.”

After 60 years, Taylors Fish & Chips stands as proof that tradition and modernity don’t have to be at odds, and that a small, independent business can still have the look and feel of a chain, while retaining its character. “That was very much what we wanted to do,” says Anne. “Where the trophy cabinet used to be, we now have our story on the wall with a picture of my mum and me. We’ve kept the past, but moved with the times.”