As a financial ombudsman, Croydon man Stuart Mok was for many years used to dealing with blue-chip companies in South London. Then he decided to change his lifestyle for the more relaxed profession of ‘chippy owner’. And Johnson Reed helped him along the way with his new career.
Stuart’s father had always owned fish and chip shops, so Stuart was used to that environment from an early age. His father happened to have an empty shop in Croydon, so these premises offered the ideal opportunity.
Having learnt the ins and outs of frying, he then had to source specialist equipment, which is when he came to Johnson Reed to find a £40,000 investment package. We helped him with the chip shop equipment leasing he needed to install new Henry Nuttall frying range equipment and a complete Southern Fried Chicken concept from Fast Food Systems.
Stuart said of the deal:
The service I got from Johnson Reed was spot on. They were willing to look at my situation in a much more favourable light than a lot of the high street banks would have done – they were not interested in my personal prospects and, because it was a new business, they just wouldn’t lend to me.
So, with our help, the good people of Croydon can continue enjoying the nation’s favourite food, while Stuart happily fries and reminisces about his childhood in dad’s fish shop.
