Hip Hop Chip Shop announces sudden closure citing energy costs and increase in VAT

Ancoats’ award-winning Hip Hop Chip Shop has announced it will be closing via a social media post made on Thursday night (6 February).

The announcement came as owners cited rising energy and VAT costs, as well as post-Covid and Brexit cost increases, as the final straw for the shop’s closure, after 11 years in operation.

The Hip Hop Chip Shop has confirmed it will be officially closing its doors on 2 March, with its sister outlets in Whalley Range, New Century, and the Etihad Stadium facing uncertainty.

In the announcement, made on Instagram to almost 20,000 followers, they said: “After 11 years, we’re unfortunately joining the chorus of independent businesses in Manchester and beyond, calling it a day.

“Although Ancoats was an amazing area for us to embark on our bricks and mortar dream, the cost increases from Brexit, Covid, energy, VAT (halving it would save a lot in the industry), BB Loans etc has meant it’s unviable in its current form – we would’ve had to increase prices much more than we’d be comfortable with to get the margins we need to keep going.

“It’s an extremely tough decision given it’s 15 years since the idea was born in my early 20s – then three mates while working other jobs began building it from scratch every weekend, to then quitting our jobs and taking a leap of full-time faith. Ultimately, we need to listen to the head, not the heart.

“We wanted to give enough notice to support our amazing team in finding new jobs, making sure all our suppliers are paid up and provide our supportive customers with the last chance to eat/drink/party with us.”

‘This won’t be the last’

First conceived in 2012, The Hip Hop Chip Shop started life as a mobile van styled as a giant tape deck, ran by Jonathan ‘Ozzie’ Oswald, Holly Oswald, and Luke Stocks, before partially settling down into a storefront in Ancoats in 2018.

It has since earned multiple awards, including being rated the second-best chippy in the UK in 2023, and has also made an appearance on American TV show Adam Richman Eats Britain last year.

The announcement follows a wave of closures seen across Manchester’s hospitality industry, with the most recent casualty Almost Famous being accused of owing staff ‘thousands’ in pay following their collapse last week.

With customers and local businesses expressing support on social media, Prestwich’s Chips @ No 8 warned in their own Instagram post that “this latest closure won’t be the last. The government needs to wake up fast and support small independent businesses before there are no more”.

A ‘bittersweet’ end

Despite uncertainty in the business’ future, staff at The Hip Hop Chip Shop reserved a sense of optimism. Speaking to NQ, staff member Orin revealed attempts to keep the business running, albeit in a limited capacity.

“We’ve got the trailer in the Etihad, but what we need is a kitchen where we’ll be able to prep everything,” he said.

“So it’s trying to figure out whether that’s doable, or whether it’s even worth doing – we’re not too sure really. Fingers crossed we can keep the trailer.

“We have the trailer at the Carlton Club, it’s a pub down in Whalley Range. They do have a small kitchen, so [the owner] in talks with them about using their kitchen. Just to do the prep, so we can serve things out of the trailer.

“It’s become a bit of a staple now this place, hasn’t it? Since we’ve put the post on Instagram, it’s been crazy busy. It’s been nice, and everyone’s saying how good the place is and all. Hearing stories about the first time they come to Manchester and they come here, so… it’s nice. It’s bittersweet.”