Pier owner's daughter swoops to buy key Promenade building in Blackpool

The daughter of Blackpool’s piers owner Peter Sedgwick has bought a key chunk of property on Central Promenade.
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Gayna Sedgwick-Ruddigan, 45, had leased the Fish Factory chip shop and other linked businesses on the Golden Mile for the past seven years but always wanted to own it.

Now she has bought the glass pyramid-topped building, which backs onto Bonny Street and the planned Blackpool Central development site – the biggest single investment in the town for more than a century – thanks to a £1.59m commercial mortgage from specialist lender Together.

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Who is Blackpool Prom building owner Gayna Sedgwick-Ruddigan?
Gayna Sedgwick-Ruddigan who has been helped to expand her business in Blackpool with help from Together. She is pictured at the Fish Factory with Michael Street from Together.Gayna Sedgwick-Ruddigan who has been helped to expand her business in Blackpool with help from Together. She is pictured at the Fish Factory with Michael Street from Together.
Gayna Sedgwick-Ruddigan who has been helped to expand her business in Blackpool with help from Together. She is pictured at the Fish Factory with Michael Street from Together.
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The entertainment venue, opposite Central Pier, also includes the Number 13 Bonny Street pub, formerly the Pump and Truncheon, a photo studio, ice cream stand and a shopping court.

She said: “I’m proud to own a chunk of Blackpool’s Golden Mile, to me, it’s like owning something in the middle of London’s Oxford Street.

“It’s a crucial time for the town, we saw almost 17 million visitors last year and the improvement in attractions means people are staying here longer, to see and do more.

“The regeneration has been a long time coming and the Blackpool Central development site is going to boost the local economy even further.” Gayna said she was hoping to tap into the latest buzz around the town.

The Pyramid building shortly after its construction on the site which backs on to Bonny Street near the old police stationThe Pyramid building shortly after its construction on the site which backs on to Bonny Street near the old police station
The Pyramid building shortly after its construction on the site which backs on to Bonny Street near the old police station
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She added: “I live and breathe it. I grew up here and have worked in the tourism and hospitality industry since I was nine.

“My family originate from the fairground and have expanded their business over 40 years, which now means they own Blackpool’s three piers – North, South and Central.

“We have a deep understanding of property market and know what customers want.”

Michael Street, senior internal sales executive at Together, said: “Straightaway, we saw that Gayna has something special and comes from a family with a wealth of experience.”

The site used to be the Grab City complex which was destroyed in an arson in 2002.

The glass pyramid building was built in 2005.