A chip shop owner has spoken out on how energy bills totalling thousands of pounds a month are decimating his businesses. Nick Lomvardos has said he is having sleepless nights worrying about his two shops and has made a plea to the public to support Bristol businesses to ensure their survival.
The 55-year-old owns The Bishopston Fish Bar on Gloucester Road and the Jolly Fryer on Filton Avenue, the latter of which was first opened by his parents in 1986. Nick responded to a BristolLive article reporting on the number of closures in Bristol since the start of 2023, saying the uncertainty in the current economic climate is petrifying.
"You don't know what's going to happen. Every day something new comes along," Nick told Bristol Live. "I'm having sleepless nights. I'm often downstairs at 4 o'clock in the morning trying to think what I can do."
Read more: Bristol shops, bars and restaurants that have announced closure in 2023
Energy prices remain one of the piercing pressure points for small businesses, with Nick being hit with bills five times higher than 12 months prior. He explained how Bishopston Fish Bar was billed £4,500 for electricity consumption last month, which Nick believes to be an overestimate, on top of another £2,000 for the Jolly Fryer for gas.
UK energy bills are forecast to fall to about £2,200 from July as wholesale gas costs drop, but the issue for Nick and many other small business owners is being tied into fixed term contracts. Nick believes businesses should be able to renegotiate the terms of the contract to help them weather the storm.
He explained: "They won't allow us to break the contract, that's the thing that's really killing us. That's where we feel as though we're being robbed, it's not fair. What would you rather - that we close the shop and you get nothing out of us?"
Nick added that he doesn't want to close his businesses and was forced to raise his prices slightly last weekend as a way to mitigate some of the energy costs. He has also opened the Bishopston Fish Bar for lunch six days a week and has introduced new vegan options to try and reach new customers.
"It breaks my heart. I could call it a day with both shops - one of them we own so I could sell that outright and the other I could terminate my lease or release, but I just think of the people who work for me. They're not people anymore they're family. My manager of one shop, I call him my brother."
Nick is not alone. The Bianchis Group, which runs, Bianchis Restaurant, Pasta Loco, Pasta Ripiena, Pizza Bianchi, Cotto and Centrale, have been forced to make significant price increases this week after reporting less than 1 per cent profit in 2022.
He said he hopes there will be a change of mentality in the community from big brands to supporting local businesses on Bristol's high streets. "We're all in this together," he said.
"When you drive past and see huge queues outside the McDonalds, they're not going to go bust. It's the little places. The number of shops closed on Gloucester Road breaks your heart, and they're all independents like me."
Bishopston Fish Bar is at 264 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8PB. Open Monday to Saturday, lunch and dinner.
The Jolly Fryer is at 557A Filton Ave, Bristol BS7 0QH. Open for lunch Thursday to Saturday; dinner Monday to Saturday.
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