Award-winning tropical fish shop at The Heath to undergo makeover to cope with surging demand from customers

Press Release

Runcorn: August 20th, 2024: A tropical fish shop based at The Heath Business and Technical Park, voted 2023 Independent Retailer of the Year by the UK’s leading fishkeeping magazine, is undergoing a make-over to meet demand from its fast growing customer base.

Steve Chester, former Head Keeper at Chester Zoo’s Aquarium, launched his business enterprise ‘Premier Aquatics’ at The Heath in Runcorn four years ago and it swiftly became the region’s go-to place for tropical fish enthusiasts. A construction worker by trade, Steve turned his hobby collecting tropical fish into a dream career focused around his fondness for exotic fish.

Says Steve: “My original plan was to open a business by creating a website and selling online. I just needed to find somewhere to keep my aquariums.  I looked at industrial units, but they were freezing cold places which required too much investment in insulation and heating and then I discovered The Heath which was the perfect place to open my own bespoke shop.”

Premier Aquatics, situated in a building next to The Heath’s Conference Centre, was transformed from an office space into a retail shop that was originally designed to accommodate 150 aquariums that are home to around 600 different species of fish imported from all over the world.

“We have grown steadily and become really popular with tropical fish lovers from across the North-West region and as far afield as Anglesey, Leeds and Scotland buying from us and we have a big following on social media,” adds Steve.

Now due to the huge demand for his services Steve intends to redesign his shop layout to make it more customer friendly with 350 aquariums that will showcase 17,500 tropical fish which he imports from Sierra Leone, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and European countries like Germany, The Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. 

The shop, which has a 5-Star Pet Shop Licence from Halton Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department, was originally a one-man operation but Steve now employs a full-time assistant and two part-time assistants. Premier Aquatics will be closed from September 1-5 for the refurbishment and will be officially re-opened on Friday, September 6^th by the Mayor of Halton Cllr Kevan Wainwright.

Says Steve: “These are really exciting times for us, and I am very grateful for all the brilliant support we have had from the people who operate The Heath Business and Technical Park which has enabled me to grow and develop my business. Being voted Independent Retailer of the Year in 2023 by the readers of Practical Fishkeeping which is a national magazine really put the spotlight on us. It gave us great exposure and brought us new customers. Voting is underway for the 2024 contest and hopefully we can retain the title again this year.”

Steve is expecting lots of interest from customers eager to see the new-look shop: “We’re already getting lots of positive comments and the Friday we re-open is one of our ‘Fish Club’ Fridays which are always very popular, and we also hold our unique fish auction that evening where people can bid for fish as we replenish our stock.”

Lesley Banks, Sales and Marketing Manager at The Heath Business and Technical Park, says: “Premier Aquatics is a fine example of the many innovative small business operations we accommodate at The Heath. We are delighted for Steve’s success and for the very deserving accolades that he is receiving.”

For more information visit www.premieraquatics.co.uk

About The Heath

The Heath Business and Technical Park is a phenomenal regeneration success story. Formed in 2000, its owner and operator, SOG Ltd, has transformed a once single occupancy corporate facility into a thriving independent business park. The Heath now provides office and laboratory accommodation for around 125 individual organisations, ranging from business services and IT specialists to those at the cutting edge of science, research and advanced manufacturing.  The Heath supports around 2,000 jobs. For further information, telephone 01928 515988 or visit www.theheath.com

Issued on behalf of The Heath Business and Technical Park,

Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4QX – Part of the SOG Group

Media contact:

The Heath: Paul Smith Associates (PSA) 07771 623 007

E-mail: paul@paulsmithassociates.co.uk