Owners of Levers, an Oldham chip shop hailed as an institution, have addressed rumours about their relocation, which will see them change premises for the first time in 35 years. The shop, run by Savvas Eleftheriou and George Gabrilatsou, has been part of the town centre since 1980 and is renowned for serving some of the best fish and chips in Greater Manchester. Its current shop on Albion Street opened in 1991.
New site and opening plans
The chip shop will relocate to a new site in Spindles on Market Place, inside the former BrightHouse shop. The move follows the closure of the Tommyfield Market building earlier this year, ahead of plans for a new indoor market building.
A grand opening day for the new shop is set for Saturday, August 22, featuring a Greek Orthodox blessing and ribbon-cutting event. However, due to ongoing technical issues, staff have warned the new shop might not be ready to serve its well-loved fish and chips on that date. The original base will remain open on Saturday for orders.
Clarifying the situation
In a social media post, bosses said they wanted to clarify the situation “as we don’t want anyone travelling down expecting to order fish and chips and being disappointed.” The official service opening date is still to be confirmed.
They explained: “Saturday 22nd August will be our GRAND OPENING DAY! The new premises will be blessed by the Greek Orthodox, followed by our ribbon cutting, and we’ll have lots of special offers, treats and giveaways for our customers to enjoy! HOWEVER… Due to some ongoing technical issues, we may NOT be able to open for normal fish & chip service on 22nd August. As soon as we know exactly when we can begin serving, we promise we will officially announce our opening day. We know everyone is excited - and believe us, WE ARE TOO!”
Rumours addressed
Earlier this week, staff also addressed rumours of a special guest appearance at the new shop this weekend, saying suggestions that a iconic boyband could visit were “not true.” The post read: “We’ve heard there are a few rumours going around about Levers Fish & Chips and we just wanted to clear things up… They’re NOT TRUE! And before anyone gets too excited… Take That will NOT be performing at Levers this Saturday! As much as we’d absolutely LOVE to have them here, unfortunately we don’t think they’re quite ready for the Levers stage just yet! So, just a little reminder - please don’t believe everything you hear.”
Customers have shared their excitement for the revamped chip shop, which confirms it will remain an essential part of Oldham. One person said: “An Oldham staple been going there years... Good Luck to you all and thank goodness. Good old fish and chips cooked the Oldham way!!!” Another commented: “Levers Chippy has always had the best whether sit in or take out. We always enjoy your delicious fish and chips with our family. My very best wishes on your new premises. Wishing you lots of success, happiness and good luck for the future!” One other wrote: “Lever's is an institution in Oldham. So chuffed it's being kept going. Oldham can ill afford to lose any more shops. All the very best to the owners and all the staff. We're all right behind you.”
