THE nation’s biggest trade show for the independent chip shop is coming to Bournemouth for the first time.

Organisers say the fish and chip business is a £1.2bn industry, with Britons eating 383m portions a year – more than any other takeaway food.

The event, FRY I.T., on Sunday March 1, is organised by Peterborough-based independent wholesaler Friars Pride, which took over Poole business Doubles Food and Drink in 2013.

It aims to grow the industry along the south and south west of England.

Marketing director Louise Marshall, left, said: “When we acquired Doubles Food and Drink in Poole in 2013, it gave us a strong presence in the region.

“So bringing the show to Bournemouth is a great way for us to get closer to our customers.

“There are hundreds of independent retailers operating throughout the south and south west and this is our chance to meet many of them for the first time – and explain how we can help new shops get started and existing ones to grow.”

The event will include seminars on investing in staff training, marketing through social media and Friars Pride’s Hook & Fish packaging range.

Louise Marshall said the BIC was a “fabulous venue” and “just right” for the business and the trade.

“We are hoping to generate a lot of interest and build relationships with regional traders the way we have with our other depots. It’s also a great opportunity for them to see the latest innovations at first hand, sample new and well-known products and get connected with fish fryers from all over the country,” she added.

Organisers are encouraging visitors to bring their families along and make a day or weekend of it, with face painting, balloon modelling, competitions and other children’s activities organised.

Organisers say Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch have more than 100 fish and chip restaurants, with Harry Ramsden’s – the largest fish and chip restaurant in the world – near the conference venue.

Expecting over a million customers

ORGANISERS of the Fry I.T. event say Harry Ramsden’s Bournemouth caters for 417 diners, employs 125 people and expects to serve more than a million customers a year following a £1m refurbishment.

That would mean 268 tonnes of chips, 90 tonnes of cod, 21 tonnes of mushy peas, 10 tonnes of tartare sauce and eight tonnes of ketchup.

Other leading fish and chip businesses nearby include Westbourne’s award-winning Chez Fred, recently voted among the Sunday Times’ top 130 restaurants to eat out for under £50 for the second year running.

Organisers say the saturated fat content for an average portion of fish, chips and peas is 2.8 per cent, compared with 13.2 per cent in an individual pork pie and 14.9 per cent in a chicken salad wrap. They say the industry is also becoming more environmentally responsible, with recyclable packaging and sourcing fish from sustainable fisheries and vegetables from local growers.