Wiltshire Cafe Restaurant In Attractive Art Deco Premises For Sale

Business description

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Freehold café/restaurant with 3 bed accommodation – Wiltshire market town
• Imposing Grade 2 listed Art Deco property on corner site
• 44 covers laid out over ground and lower ground floors
• Spacious residential accommodation on first and second floors
• Suitable for a range of catering styles
• Finance available (subject to status)

BUSINESS:
This traditional tea rooms stands in a prominent location on a corner site in the centre of this thriving market town in central Wiltshire. It offers a comprehensive selection of speciality teas, coffees and other beverages together with savoury snacks, sandwiches, baguettes and toasted products, omelettes and a constantly changing selection of cakes and cookies.

There are 44 covers laid out between the ground and lower ground floors and space for 9 further covers on the pavement immediately outside (no formal permission held for the latter although there has been no local objection raised to date).

The business is understood to have traded previously as a licensed restaurant. Although the alcohol licence has been allowed to lapse the premises are considered suitable for a range of catering styles. The potential exists to extend opening hours substantially to make full use of the building, which also incorporates spacious self-contained 3 bedroom accommodation arranged on the first and second floors.

TENURE:
Freehold

YEARS ESTABLISHED:
The business has traded from the current premises for 9 years.

EMPLOYEES:
The business is run with the full time involvement of the two partners with the support of two part time staff one working 35 hours and one working 25 hours per week.

TRADING HOURS:
Mondays and Tuesdays: 10.00am to 5.30pm
Wednesdays: Closed
Thursdays to Saturdays: 10.00am to 5.30pm
Sundays: Closed

SALES REVENUE:
The business has recently been deregistered for VAT purposes. Sales of £57,412 (excluding VAT) were reported in the year ended 30/4/10.

NET PROFIT:
An abridged profit of £21,630 (excluding VAT) was achieved in the year ended 30/4/10, this being a slight improvement on the previous trading periods.

LOCAL AUTHORITY:
Wiltshire Council.

RATES PAYABLE:
Business Rates of £4,621.37 are payable in 2009/10 after Small Business Rate Relief of £92.43. The residential accommodation falls into Band A for Council Tax purposes with the sum of £1,006.05 payable in 2009/10.

SERVICES:
The vendors advise that mains gas, electricity, water and sewerage services are all connected to the property.

REASON FOR SALE:
Retirement.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY AND PREMISES:
This imposing Grade 2 listed property was constructed in the Art Deco style under a tiled roof with a number of faces by a well known local building firm in 1904 on the site of 2 cottages. Used as their showpiece headquarters for a number of years it was sold and subsequently converted internally to its present layout in the 1970's. The conversion work preserved all external features but reconfiguration of internal staircases to create self contained residential accommodation was less sympathetic with few original internal features remaining today. However, the original lead light windows on the principal elevations have been restored by the present owners and with a degree of imagination we believe that the upper floors could be represented at modest cost to provide spacious and contemporary town centre living.

The annexe accommodating the commercial kitchen at ground floor level and the residential kitchen at first floor level is attached to buildings dating from the 15th Century to the rear. Above the first floor kitchen is a flying freehold of a neighbouring property, the space currently occupied by the bathroom and kitchen of a flat attached to the milliners shop next door.

COMMERCIAL ACCOMMODATION:
A half glazed wooden front door to the side elevation opens into:

Ground Floor Café (7.4m max x 4.8m increasing to 7.6m to include the servery area):

A doorway to the side of the counter servery gives access to:

Commercial Kitchen (5.3m x 2.6m):

Lower Ground Floor:

A staircase descends from the galleried landing to the lower ground floor passing a recess with tiled surface and lit by glazed lights from the street above to:

Further Seating Area (6.6m x 4.5m):
Accommodating a further 22 covers as currently laid out.

Inner Hall:

Ladies' WC:

Gentlemen's WC:

A further wooden door at the rear of the Inner Hall gives access to a large storeroom, with stone floor, wall shelving and a chest freezer.

RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION:
Accessed via a wooden front door to the side of the commercial premises the residential accommodation is arranged as follows:

A small entrance hallway gives access to a carpeted staircase rising to the First Floor.

Landing:

Bedroom 3 (4.0m x 1.9m):

Upper Inner Hall:

Lounge (4.6m x 2.6m of floor space with deep bay windows increasing upper dimensions to 5.1m x 3.6m):

Lower Inner Hall:

Kitchen (6.7m x 2.3m):

Utility Room (2.3m x 1.9m):

Boiler Cupboard:

Second Floor:

Carpeted stairs rise from the first floor to:

Second Floor Landing:

Bedroom 1 (5.1m max x 3.5m max):

Bathroom (2.1m x 1.8m):

Bedroom 2 (3.0m x 2.9m):

The water in the flat is on a separate metered supply from the remainder of the property.

VIEWING:
All viewings to be arranged through us, sole agent.

VALUE OF STOCK:
The vendors advise that the value of stock is usually less than £500.

COMMENTS:
This represents a rare opportunity to acquire a listed property with an income which is capable of being increased very substantially whilst continuing to operate within the existing planning consent.

Property information

Property:

Freehold