Established Independent Bookshop & Events Business – Cheshire

Established Independent Bookshop & Events Business – Cheshire

CONFIDENTIAL SALE

Asking Price: £49,950
Annual Turnover: Approx. £128,000
Tenure: Leasehold
Location: Cheshire

A rare opportunity to acquire an established, growing and highly distinctive independent bookshop and literary events business situated in an attractive Cheshire location.

The business has developed a strong local identity and loyal customer base, combining traditional independent bookselling with online retail and an extensive year-round programme of literary events and experiences.

This is considerably more than a conventional retail bookshop. The current owners have developed multiple complementary revenue streams and an established events infrastructure which provides significant opportunity for continued growth.

The Business

The business operates as a welcoming independent bookshop offering a broad selection of new books across adult and children’s categories alongside complementary products and experiences.

Annual turnover is currently approximately £128,000, with the business supporting approximately £40,000 of owner remuneration during the last 12 months.

The business is operated by the owners with the assistance of two part-time members of staff and has no business borrowing or finance liabilities to be transferred as part of the proposed sale.

Extensive Events & Experiences Programme

A particularly attractive feature of the business is its established and extensive programme of literary events.

Over time, the owners have developed the business beyond traditional bookselling to create a recognised destination for readers, authors and literary events.

The events catalogue includes a broad mixture of:

* Author talks and appearances
* Book launches and signings
* Book clubs
* Themed literary events
* Children’s and family activities
* Book-related social experiences
* Food and hospitality-based literary experiences
* Special evening events
* Ticketed events
* Larger-scale literary events and festivals
* Partnerships with authors, publishers and other organisations

The business has experience organising events ranging from smaller in-store gatherings through to significantly larger ticketed events hosted at external venues.

The events operation provides an important point of differentiation from a traditional independent bookshop and offers a new owner considerable potential to expand this side of the business further.

Established relationships and experience within the publishing and author community also provide an excellent platform from which a purchaser could continue developing the events calendar.

Full details of individual events, historic attendance, partnerships and future opportunities would be provided to serious prospective purchasers following completion of a confidentiality agreement.

Online & Digital Presence

The physical retail operation is complemented by an established digital presence and e-commerce capability.

The sale would include the relevant website, digital assets and established social media presence, subject to the final terms of the transaction.

This provides a purchaser with an existing platform from which to develop online book sales, event ticketing and other digital revenue opportunities.

What’s Included

The proposed sale would include, subject to final agreement:

* Established trading business and goodwill
* Trading name and brand
* Website and e-commerce operation
* Relevant social media accounts
* Existing stock
* Fixtures, fittings and equipment
* Established supplier relationships
* Intellectual property and marketing assets
* Customer and mailing databases where legally transferable
* Existing events operation and associated intellectual property
* Established commercial relationships
* Appropriate handover and transitional support from the current owners

Current stock is estimated at approximately £8,000, with fixtures, fittings and other physical business assets estimated at approximately £3,000.

Premises

The business operates from established leasehold retail premises in Cheshire.

The premises have been fitted out for the current operation and provide an attractive base for both traditional retail and associated customer experiences.

Further information regarding the premises, lease terms and precise location will only be provided to suitably qualified interested parties following completion of a confidentiality agreement.

Growth Opportunity

While already established, there remains considerable scope for further development.

Potential areas of growth include increasing online sales, expanding the events programme, increasing the frequency and scale of ticketed events, developing additional literary experiences, expanding partnerships with publishers and authors, increasing corporate and community partnerships and developing additional revenue streams around the existing brand.

For a purchaser with an interest in books and events, the business provides the opportunity to acquire an established platform rather than undertaking the considerable work and expense involved in establishing a new independent bookshop and building its audience from scratch.

Reason for Sale

The current owners are seeking a change in direction and believe the business has reached an excellent stage for a new owner to continue its development.

A reasonable handover and transition period can be provided.

Proposed Transaction

The proposed transaction is intended to comprise the acquisition of the business, goodwill and agreed assets, rather than the shares of the existing limited company.

This would allow a purchaser to establish their own corporate structure through which to continue operating the business, subject to appropriate legal, landlord and other arrangements.

Asking Price: £49,950

Further financial, operational and events information will be made available to serious prospective purchasers following appropriate qualification and completion of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

The identity and precise location of the business are intentionally withheld at this stage.

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Prospective purchasers must not approach staff, customers, suppliers, neighbouring businesses, landlords or other parties who may be connected with the business without the prior written consent of the seller.