Echo Cafe & Bar In Picton For Sale

Business description

A.S. Echo Cafe & Bar for sale is a great opportunity to purchase approx. 150m2 of commercial premises plus decks and includes the lease of 4 car parks adjoining the business premises.

There is a long term lease in place for this ship ( Scow ) to be positioned on the prime Shelley Beach Picton Marina location and would be ideal for a couple to take this great business to the next level.

This Scow has been faithfully restored and the hospitality business could be expanded to take full advantage of this great tourism attraction. This historic vessel is both a museum and a popular meeting place for locals as well as amazed tourists.

If you are practical and have flair in the industry, this is your chance to take this growing business to the next level and enjoy the rewards.

Echo Café and Bar in the Picton Marina sells:

Home cooked café meals served above and below deck
A selection of takeaway foods available from the "Hole in the Hull" servery
A great selection of beers wines and spirits available at the bar
Snacks, confectionery, ice creams and soft drinks
The below-deck café offers a warm and cosy experience that is rich in history. With polished wooden bar and bar stools, tables with comfortable chairs and low bulkhead ceilings, this is the place for friends and families. The inner hull is decorated with dozens of historic photos of the Echo and of other Scows that were the backbone of New Zealand’s early trading.

The below-deck area includes:

Office with shower
Ladies and men’s toilets
Hatchway through the hull for takeaways
The above deck dining area draws eager patrons to enjoy spectacular views over the town, harbour and Queen Charlotte Sound. It is especially popular during the busy summer season.

Although the ship, café and bar are a freehold business, the land for the dry dock (320 square meters) and associated car parking is leased from Port Marlborough at a cost of $2565 + GST per annum. The lease is on a 5 x 5 x 5 year renewable basis with rent reviews every 3 years.

A complete list of all fittings and chattels is available to interested buyers. Main items include:

Benches and counters, storage cupboards, outdoor tables and umbrellas (5)
Below-deck tables (7), chairs (26), bar stools (10), Matai centre table (2)
Floor coverings, wall decorations, television, phone, electronic cash register
Refrigerators (6), freezers (2), drinks refrigerators (2)
Oven, microwave oven, fryer station, grill, small oven
Dishwasher, coffee machine, milk shake machine

The owners have now, regretfully, put their labour of love on to the market. This is a unique business that offers the new owner an opportunity to make their mark in the New Zealand hospitality industry. It is being sold as a going concern business with everything in place to start trading from day one.

The Echo is dry berthed on concrete foundations alongside the Victoria Domain in the Picton Marina. She is accessible by car or foot from the Town Centre and is situated beside several popular walking tracks on the Domain.

The Echo was the last ship plying commercially under sail in New Zealand waters. She has now been refurbished to serve as a Café and Bar business within the Picton Marina Precinct.

The Echo was built in 1905 as a topsail schooner with a Hercules oil engine of 30 hp. Large centerboards were lowered to prevent leeward drift when sailing. For most of her life she sailed back and forth across Cook Strait between Blenheim and Wellington. In 1942, she was requisitioned by the US Army as a supply ship for the New Hebrides and New Guinea area. Her war service was the theme of a Hollywood film released in 1961 called "The Wackiest Ship in the Army."

Picton, near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, is surrounded by steep hills and enjoys superb views of forested mountains rising from the sea. The town with its equitable climate is more like a tourist seaside village with shops, tourist facilities and accommodation.

Picton Harbour and neighbouring Waikawa Bay both have extensive marinas for smaller craft. The Marlborough Sounds offer fantastic sailing, fishing and boating adventures along with secluded beachfront holiday homes.

Picton is the nearest centre to the famous Queen Charlotte Track, an easy 5-day walk along Queen Charlotte Sound with hostel and hotel accommodation available.

Property information

Real Estate:

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