Post Office In Busy West Sussex Coastal Town For Sale

Business description

Good sized premises with possible separate office space above (subject to permission) in busy residential area. Full PO services with lots of scope to expand retail lines. Very well fitted premises with parking at rear for4/5 cars. PO Salary £95,000pa. Open M-F 9-5.30pm, Sat 9-12.30, 2 full-time and 3 part-time staff. Secure renew lease, rent £24,000pa, landlord offers new 12 year lease. Ideally suited to working couple with part-time help.

Property information

Property:

Leasehold

Lease terms:

The secure renewable lease is to October 2012 with a current rent of £24,000pa but the landlord is prepared to issue a new 12year lease with four yearly reviews fixing the rent at £24,000 to any incoming tenant, subject to suitable references.

Leasehold rent:

£24,000 per annum

Location:

The post office is in a good location among other complementary outlets in a prosperous residential area on the outskirts a large & popular coastal town in West Sussex and is considered to be in a prime position on outskirts of this busy seaside resort town.

Apart from having a thriving tourist trade it is the centre for many major employers and is a major shopping centre and has a large local population. There are excellent transport links by road and rail to London and the coastal cities of Brighton and Portsmouth, and air travel from Gatwick airport is only 45 minutes away by car.

Premises details:

The single-fronted well maintained spacious & secure two storey premises has four Post Office counters and a separate desk for the general store side of the business which offers a complimentary retail operation with a good choice of items. Within the main retail area there are also two large booths (which are limited in the UK) and are very expensive items, one for the DVLA Premier Service which allows customers wanting new or updated driving licences to be dealt with on-line direct for speed and this service is offered at only a limited number of post offices. The second booth is a coin-operated photo booth.

The bright open plan retail sales area has a range of stationery available such as cards, wrapping paper, a small selection of toys, key rings and many other everyday items, however the range could easily be expanded to include simple groceries or even a small amount of Discount Store type goods as there is a very large retail area that is not currently used to its full potential.
The premises are well fitted with ample display units, shelving and racking and in addition there is also a furnished and fully equipped private administration office behind the post office counters housing the main post office Gateway computer.

There is a separate access to the upstairs space which has a main area measuring approximately 12ft by 12ft, which could easily be equipped as a private business office with a potential rental income if desired, subject of course to any landlords permission required by the landlord, and a staff room/kitchen with a single drainer sink and storage cupboard and door through to a small hall off which is the ladies' and gents' toilets, and cloakroom currently used by the post office staff.

The business is operating from premises that were formerly a Crown Post Office, so it has the advantage of full security equipment including a time-locked safe, full alarm system and security bars. There is a large enclosed service yard to the rear with parking for four or five vehicles on a private driveway behind large black gates.

Business Operation

Expansion potential:

The upstairs space could be equipped as a private office and let, subject to any permissions required. Could offer more retail items, grocery lines, household goods etc.

Trading hours:

The business currently operates from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 12.30 on Saturdays

Employees:

2 full-time assistants and 3 part-time assistants, all of whom are post-office trained