LJS Seafood Restaurants
serving new zealand’s FAVOURITE FOOD

LJS has been known for providing quality fish and chips in malls and high streets throughout New Zealand for nearly 21 years. As franchisor Ben Frewin points out, ‘It’s that reputation that has helped franchisees to be so successful for so long, despite all the other types of food outlet that have come and gone during that time. Fish and chips is a traditional favourite: our stores only use premium New Zealand caught fish, such as hoki, snapper and dory, and are freshly cooked in the best rice bran oil. The results speak for themselves – we are recognised as a leader in quality, both by the public and within the industry.’

Ben Frewin knows the value of a good business with a good reputation. He qualified as an accountant with the global firm Arthur Andersen and took off to work in London. ‘I spent almost ten years consulting with many corporates such as Barclays Bank, and Royal Dutch Shell,’ he says, ‘then for three years I ran my own consultancy business throughout Europe. But I always planned to return to New Zealand and every time my wife, Lucinda, and I came back with our children I looked for business opportunities here.

‘I first came across LJS at the food court in Manukau. We bought fish and chips, and I thought, “Wow – these are good!” That’s where my research started. At the time the franchise was not for sale, but it came on the market about two years later and we became the franchisors in May 2011.’

With his consulting experience, Ben plans to focus on processes and systems to help LJS franchisees achieve even better results. ‘LJS is a great brand with a great product, and I have no intention of trying to change that. My drive will be towards providing systems that will help maintain the consistency of product that customers expect. My aim is to standardise the “back of house” and leave the franchisees to personalise the “front of house”. Much of our success comes down to the friendliness and personality of the individual operators, and we can build overall sales by making sure that great LJS taste is delivered every time in every store.’

In keeping with his promise, Ben’s first action as franchisor was to introduce state-of-the-art point of sale systems to every outlet. ‘This was long overdue and a popular move because it reduced the amount of admin franchisees had to do – no more form filling or other tedious work late on a Sunday evening,’ Ben says. ‘The new system also provides everyone with much better sales information and allows franchisees to concentrate on their customers and their business. Now we have the data that lets us compare one store’s sales with another, so we can leverage the experience of franchisees to improve sales through the whole group.

Own Home And Money In The Bank

Brian and Christine Small are instant fans of Ben’s plan. The couple are long-standing LJS franchisees, although their Rotorua store is about as far from the sea as possible. Like Ben, they were attracted to the business first as regular customers. ‘Brian was a Methodist Minister and I was in community work, but we had both reached a point where we needed a change – and a job,’ says Christine. ‘We thought that if we liked LJS so much, other people must as well.’

Sensibly cautious, Christine says they sought advice from their bank and also talked to every other franchisee before making their decision. ‘Our children were grown up so we only had ourselves to worry about and we decided to take the challenge. After training, we spent a year running a store in Christchurch and enjoyed it so much that when that site lease expired we bought the Rotorua franchise. That was back in 2000 and we have been here ever since. From small beginnings, we now own our own home and have some money in the bank. LJS has been great for us.’

Christine believes their success is down to three simple principles: ‘Good food, good service and a clean, tidy shop,’ she says emphatically. ‘If you keep to those, have a reasonable location and good staff, then this really is an excellent franchise. Like many LJS outlets, our store is open seven days a week and Brian and I still do five days behind the counter ourselves. The paperwork takes much less time since Ben brought in the POS and we’re looking forward to the future with a really good franchise.’

For those keen to match Brian and Christine’s success, the initial investment for an LJS outlet is between $150,000 and $250,000 depending on location. ‘In the last six months, LJS has built a strong base from which to grow,’ Ben says. ‘We are currently looking for new franchisees to join the LJS family and, like Christine, build a successful business for themselves.  We have a number of opportunities in food courts and stand-alone locations throughout New Zealand so contact us and find out more about New Zealand’s favourite fish and chips.’ 

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 20 Issue 4 

Contact details for LJS Seafood Restaurants

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