Modern Café Set in Inverness City Centre for Lease

• Charming ‘B’ listed building comprising a well-presented café, set within a prime trading location in a desirable area of Inverness city centre, the capital of the Highlands.
• Internal areas extending to around 98m², with prominent frontage and large display window plus high-profile signage.
• Attractively furnished, modern café customer area set to 18 covers extending to approx. 50m2, plus offices / storage / preparation areas on the basement floor 48m2. 
• Popular café benefitting from superb passing trade, with strong year-round demand from locals and tourists alike.
• A profitable café offering an excellent self-employment opportunity and providing a sustainable business model with further development potential.

DESCRIPTION
Blend Tea & Coffee Merchants is a popular city centre café in a busy trading location, set over the ground and basement floors of a characterful multi-storey period property. This walk-in opportunity is located on a popular pedestrian route within Inverness centre thus benefitting from a high level of passing trade, in an area of the city frequented by both residents and tourists. 

The Café has dual exposure, being located on a popular street corner. The street level internal trading aspects are set to an open-plan configuration. The café is currently set to 18 covers and this suits the operating model utilised by the owners. The service counter is well-located adjacent to the entrance and the décor is of an excellent standard throughout. This is an easy to operate proposition set within a contemporarily decorated premises. The present business combines excellent produce, friendly staff and a warm welcome to make this a popular destination.  At ground floor level there is a customer toilet which is tastefully finished.

The unit benefits from a spacious office / storage areas located in the basement floor. Staff welfare facilities are also situated in the basement.

TRADE
Blend Tea & Coffee Merchants is a popular City centre business which enjoys year-round support from a varied client base. The café has an established reputation and offers an excellent selection of freshly prepared items complemented by a wide range of beverages, throughout the day. This unique business has a healthy local support, both from passing shoppers and from regular business clientele, plus from the influx of tourists in the main season which generates strong demand. 

The food menu has been carefully designed to cater for everyone, with bagels and rolls, wraps and salads, and a soup of the day. Vegetarian and vegan menus, gluten free, dairy free options are actively promoted.  The home baking offerings change on a daily basis. There are also smoothies, iced teas, bubble teas, milkshakes and ‘drinks of the day’ which prove popular with clientele.

The café currently trades 6 days out of 7 (Monday to Saturday), opening from 9am to 4pm. The business is also highly frequented by those looking for a takeaway option, with both visitors and those who work in the city, who are looking for a tasty breakfast / lunch option. The current trading ethos reflects the personal choice of the present owner and allows scope for new operators to drive the business to greater levels of profitability. 

STAFF
The current owner works full time in the business plus employs two full-time and one part-time staff members and operates from Monday to Saturday on a shift rota.

REASON FOR SALE
The current proprietors obtained the lease in October 2013 and commenced trading in December 2013. It is their desire to reduce their business interests that brings this excellent opportunity to the market.

LOCATION
Blend is situated within the centre of Inverness City. The unit is easily located on a very popular thoroughfare close to a range of facilities and amenities to include a number of local retailers, hotels, self-catering accommodation, hair dressers / barbers and chemists which all contribute positively to passing trade. 

Inverness is the commercial and administrative centre for the Highlands of Scotland. It is a vibrant city with a population in the region of 50,000 and a geographical shopping catchment area spanning 10,000 square miles, with a potential catchment population of around 200,000. Within the holiday season, the town attracts many thousands of visitors who come to experience the Highlands in all its glory. Inverness has extensive facilities for residents and visitors boasting three golf courses, a theatre (Eden Court), an excellent indoor swimming complex, two cinemas, ten pin bowling and ample opportunity to enjoy an evening’s entertainment at a range of venues. Inverness is a busy tourist destination with its population swelling greatly in the main tourist season. Whether it is a whisky trail, a boat trip on Loch Ness or a visit to one of the many accessible Scottish castles, the property is ideally situated to catch the eye of the many tourists who choose to visit. Inverness is a vibrant and growing City and with such expansion comes many opportunities in both commerce and social activities. Such growth benefits established businesses and ensures a year-round potential trade.

THE PROPERTY
Blend Tea & Coffee Merchants is set within a well presented unit, with glazed frontage offering prominent signage and branding opportunities. There is ample space for signage above the front and side window. The café is part of an attractive stone building which can be accessed via a street level single-entry point directly off Drummond Street.

The appealing entrance has a partially glazed door with a large glazed picture window frontage, thus enjoying beautiful natural lighting. Upon entering the open-plan customer area there is an attractive servery counter, displaying an extensive range of flavoured coffee syrups and fresh home baking. The café is set to free-standing tables and chairs with some soft furnishings. The wall décor is modern and in-line with the style of food and drinks on offer. As well as the café and takeaway food and drinks, the business also retails loose leaf tea, coffee beans and kombucha refills which can be found at the rear of the shop on attractive free-standing shelving. 

There are excellent customer toilets to the rear of the café. There is an office, preparation area, pot wash sink / commercial dishwasher, ample chill and freezer units plus a large dry goods store and staff WC, set to the basement floor. 

SERVICES
The unit benefits from mains electricity, water and drainage. The electrical installation is relatively modern, having been rewired a few of years ago. Heating is provided by direct electric appliances.

PRICE
Offers over £35,000 are invited for the leasehold interest. There are 6 years remaining of the 15 years lease, which expires on 7th October 2028. We understand that the landlord is happy to discuss an extension to the lease period. Rent is set at £17,000 per annum.