From Long John Silver to LJS

The LJS group of companies, originally known as Long John Silver, operates to exacting standards and is backed by professional and experienced management well versed in operating in a corporate environment. The Group has grown from the introduction of the first store in 1990, to a chain of currently 13 stores operating all over New Zealand, from Wellsford to Christchurch.  LJS is currently engaged in a major expansion program.

Late 1997 saw the beginnings of a redesigned and up-market Company image and name change to LJS, which was done primarily to better reflect the high restaurant quality standards of product, and is reflected in the brand’s credo as a fish and chips restaurant.  Five new stores have since been built under the new LJS image.

The majority of the Group’s stores are located in the foodcourts located in most of the major New Zealand Shopping Centres and Malls, where there are high volumes of foot traffic generated by the Mall.  This has enabled the brand to gain good exposure and enabled brand awareness to grow substantially. The Company also currently has, and has had, various stand-alone fully-seated restaurant locations in prime inner city locations where there is a high volume of foot-traffic passing by.

A Successful Franchise System

The LJS Group operates a number of Company owned stores as well as a strong and established Franchise system, which provides for a major operational advantage over other Franchise systems, as the Company has a comprehensive and experienced management team handling all operational aspects and day to day running of the company owned stores.  This provides the Franchisees with a much stronger level and availability of support than other Franchise chains that do not have company owned stores to run.  An additional benefit of this is that the management structure is partially subsidised by the profits of the Company owned stores, which allows the on-going Royalty Fees to be set an a very low level compared with most other Franchise systems.

The supply and distribution of all raw material and stock used in the business is organised by LJS in order to maximise the bulk purchasing power through volume as well as standardising in-store product pricing.  Franchisees are provided with comprehensive details of the authorised stock to purchase including the correct cost of each item of stock, and purchase the stock directly from the designated Distributor, with stock being delivered and invoice directly to the Franchisee by the Distributor.

LJS: New Zealand's Fish and Chip Market Leader

LJS's major competition within the fast food market traditionally comes from the large number of fragmented small vendors and businesses selling.  There is no real direct competition, or identifiable threat thereof, within this market from any professionally managed Company or group of Companies with a blend of skills, operational and marketing expertise, local market knowledge, stock purchasing power and technical resources matching those of the LJS Group of Companies.

LJS continually leads the market by maintaining a competitive edge with new innovations and product into the stores.  Innovations include addressing the health conscious segment of the market with the use of cholesterol FREE pure Rice Bran oil and the health advantages that it provides, and the introduction of hot-plate grillers allowing the option of grilled fish and other products.

LJS operates a continuous program of product research and development. At any given time there is at least one new product or concept being extensively trialled in several company owned stores for evaluation, prior to launching nation-wide throughout the Group.

LJS' standard product lines are encompassed in a national menu, and all have an established track record and reputation and, through the eyes of its customer base, are seen as exceptional value for money purchase, both in quality and price.  Menu pricing is set nationally in order to maximise margins on each product line, as well as maintaining a comparative and competitive pricing structure to other operators within a foodcourt environment.  The national menu also includes a range of set combo meals and special meal packs designed to attract a specific segment of the market, simplify the customer interaction process, and in keeping with industry trends. 

The Future: LJS Expansion

More stores are currently planned, with specific strategic areas and towns having been identified throughout the Country. 

A gradual and controlled expansion plan is in place for the Group to ensure that as many opportunities as possible are identified and set up in locations where the Company already has a presence, before any new towns or areas are further considered.

Since the Group now has a presence in most of the major shopping mall locations throughout New Zealand, the Company is now ideally positioned for a controlled move towards new stand-alone stores, in order to take advantage of the previously untapped and very large after-hours dinner market currently not available to the shopping mall type stores.

For these reasons, the planned and progressive growth of the LJS Group of Companies throughout New Zealand is ensured.

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