Business / Blydoit sale good news all round
THE FUTURE of two popular local fish shops and a small processing unit has been secured after a buyer for Blydoit was found at the last minute.
Both shops in Lerwick and Scalloway were due to close after the Christmas break with the loss of 16 jobs, but this fate has now been averted.
Owner James Shearer has now confirmed that a local buyer has been found, with the company set to continue to operate.
The news will be welcomed by many local shoppers with a sigh of relief.
Shearer, who will stay on during a transition period and until the sales process has been concluded, said he already had many people congratulating him on the news.
“It is all very positive, the staff is very happy, and I am delighted for them; it is good to know that they will continue to have their jobs in the new year,” he said.
The company directors had been trying to sell the company for some time ahead of retirement.
Blydoit Fish Ltd was established more than 20 years ago when the owners of the Burra based whitefish trawler Mizpah LK173 started their own fish processing unit and retail shop in Scalloway.
The idea was to become more profitable by cutting out the middleman by processing and then selling their own freshly caught fish.
Blydoit quickly established itself as a reliable source for fresh fish locally and was able to open a second shop in Lerwick.
Almost a local institution today, Blydoit supplies most of the country shops, the schools as well as the hospital and many hotels with fish.
Both shops will close on Tuesday (19 December) and re-open again at midday on 3 January 2024 in Scalloway and the 4th in Lerwick.
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