Darn.. I liked them - one of the few chip shops you could sit inside and eat.
I suppose with the nearby traditional pub-chucking-out trade vanishing and most of what would have once have been the passing trade now being in cars, they would be relying on sudden decisions from local householders to have chips for tea which is unreliable at best. And, of course, there is a lot more competition around in the take-away market these days.
Not focusing on this business in particular but there have been several instances in the village where people have bought shops and similar businesses and appear not to have asked themselves why, if the business was viable and prosperous, the current owners are selling up. When I was a girl many, if not most, of the shops were in long-term hands and they only closed when the proprietors retired or died. The fast turnover of certain businesses in Marple these days is really quite sad.
As to your comment - unfortunately, the VAT regs have killed off the old "eat-in" chippies.