Black Country's last Harry Ramsden's closes

The restaurant only opened in Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, a year ago. It replaced fish and chip shop Chamberlains.

But today the shutters are down at the store with bosses confirming yesterday that it has closed.

Chief executive Tom Crowley said: "As a business, we are always reviewing our formats, locations and sites. It has been decided that this outlet is no longer viable for Harry Ramsden's, as the brand evolves.

"We are, however, continuing to look for other great locations throughout the UK and overseas," he said.

The firm was unable to confirm how many jobs will be lost.

Harry Ramsden's is owned by West Bromwich-based frozen chicken company 2 sisters.

It is headed by Wolverhampton-born chief executive Ranjit Singh Boparan.

It was purchased in 2010.

The flagship restaurant chain started in Guiseley, near Leeds. But in 2011, the branch was closed after 83 years of business.

The company also closed its restaurant in Merry Hill shopping centre in 2012 with the loss of 14 jobs.

In its two years of business, the store made losses of nearly £1 million.

The restaurant, in the lower level of the centre, could cater for 160 diners.

The chain now has about 40 branches, many based in motorway service stations.

Mr Boparan is a former Bilston butcher's assistant who has built up 2 Sisters with his wife since founding the business in West Bromwich in 1993.

In recent years it has acquired Goodfella's pizza and Fox's biscuits through its £341m takeover of Northern Foods. The firm has grown to become a £3 billion food group employing 23,000 people in the UK, the Netherlands and Poland.

It supplies chicken to KFC and most of the UK's supermarket chains, including Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury.