Littlehampton's Wimpy saved from permanent closure with refurbishment underway

Wimpy has confirmed that its Surrey Street restaurant is set to reopen with a new franchisee at the helm.

The news comes three months after the fast-food restaurant closed its doors, having collapsed into liquidation.

The much-loved burger chain said ‘no firm date has yet been set’ for the reopening of the Littlehampton restaurant but refurbishment work on the building has ‘already begun’.

A Wimpy spokesman added: “We always said it was our ambition to return as soon as possible and we are thrilled to deliver on that promise.

“We are delighted to welcome Raj Somasundaram as a new franchisee to the Wimpy family and know that he and his team will be working hard to welcome customers back through the doors for our fabulous, good value food.”

It is expected that the new-look restaurant – which will feature Wimpy’s latest SHIFT design – will be open before the end of the year.

Wimpy had been a mainstay in Littlehampton’s dining scene for nearly 45 years before its closure in June – when the previous franchisee, Peter Dunn, left.

In a statement at the time, Wimpy UK general manager Chris Woolfenden said ‘challenging trading conditions’ combined with ‘rising costs’ made it ‘very difficult’ for Mr Dunn to continue trading.

Mr Dunn, meanwhile, blamed the pandemic, inflation, VAT, bounceback repayments and increasing staff costs. Click here to read more.

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