Tilly's of Midhurst Asset Sale Turnkey Cafe Opportunity

Tilly’s of Midhurst presents an exciting asset sale opportunity in the heart of the highly desirable market town of Midhurst, West Sussex.

The business is no longer trading, and this should be viewed as an opportunity to acquire the fitted cafe setup and take over well-established premises from which a new owner can relaunch their own operation.

Tilly’s traded successfully for approximately eight years and developed an excellent reputation locally for quality food, friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere. During its years of operation, the cafe attracted a loyal base of repeat customers together with visitors to the area and benefited from strong word-of-mouth recommendations.

A particularly attractive feature of the opportunity is the historic performance achieved despite very restricted opening hours. We are advised turnover was £86,886 with a net profit of £26,918, whilst the cafe traded for only approximately 21 hours per week.

The fitted premises, established cafe use and historic trading performance provide an excellent platform for an incoming owner-operator looking to establish or expand a hospitality business without starting entirely from scratch.

Tilly’s of Midhurst historically operated as a traditional daytime cafe serving breakfasts, brunches, light lunches and a selection of hot and cold drinks.

The business developed a strong reputation over approximately eight years of trading and enjoyed a considerable level of repeat custom.

One of its most notable characteristics was the restricted trading schedule. The cafe was operated for only approximately 21 hours per week across four days, yet still produced an impressive level of historic turnover and profitability.

The operation was run by the owners without employed staff costs, providing a straightforward owner-operated business model.

The cafe offered approximately 20 internal covers, together with scope for additional outside seating.

The business also established a good digital presence and received a considerable amount of positive customer feedback across online review platforms. This historic reputation may provide an incoming operator with a useful foundation from which to establish their new venture, subject to the terms of the asset sale.

This is therefore not the acquisition of a currently trading cafe. Instead, the opportunity provides an incoming operator with established cafe premises and an existing fitted setup from which trading may be recommenced, subject to the usual consents and transfer arrangements.

As the business is currently closed, minimal or no stock is anticipated to form part of the sale.

The opportunity may suit an experienced cafe operator, first-time hospitality buyer or owner-operator seeking premises from which to launch a new concept or re-establish a cafe operation.

There are numerous opportunities for an incoming operator to develop the business from its historic trading model.

Most significantly, previous opening hours amounted to only around 21 hours per week, leaving substantial scope to introduce additional trading days and longer opening hours.

Further opportunities could include weekend trading, later opening, an expanded breakfast and lunch menu, takeaway services, local delivery, outside catering and event catering.

The size of the kitchen may be particularly suitable for developing a catering operation alongside the core cafe trade.

A new operator could also make greater use of social media and digital marketing and capitalise on the strong tourism market, local events and affluent customer base within Midhurst and the surrounding area.

Viewings to be arranged strictly by appointment only via CoGoGo!



Location

The business occupies leasehold premises at Hill House, Rumbolds Hill, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9BY.

Midhurst is an attractive and affluent market town situated within the South Downs National Park. It benefits from a strong local community as well as year-round visitors and tourists attracted to Midhurst and the surrounding West Sussex countryside.

The area is also well known for attractions including Cowdray Park and has a strong mix of independent shops, cafes and other businesses.

The location provides access to an attractive customer demographic, combining regular local trade with visitor and tourism-related footfall.



Premises

The premises have previously been fitted and equipped for cafe use and provide an efficient layout for food preparation and customer service.

Equipment and fittings associated with the previous operation include:

• Commercial coffee machine
• Commercial dishwasher
• Cafe fixtures and fittings
• Internal tables and seating

The kitchen is of a good size and could potentially support an expanded food offering or outside/event catering operation.

The existing setup offers the purchaser the benefit of acquiring premises already configured for cafe use, potentially reducing the level of initial expenditure compared with fitting out an empty unit.



Tenure

The premises are held on a leasehold basis.

We are advised that approximately 6 years remain on the lease and that the current rent is £9,000 per annum.

We are further advised that the premises benefit from Business Rates exemption, subject to the purchaser making their own enquiries and confirming their individual eligibility.

The comparatively modest occupational costs represent an attractive feature for an incoming owner-operator.



Hours

Prior to ceasing trading, the cafe operated for only approximately 21 hours per week across four trading days.

This limited trading pattern is particularly noteworthy given the historic financial performance of the business and provides an incoming operator with considerable scope to increase opening hours and trading days.



Staff

The business was historically operated by the two owners and therefore did not incur regular employed staff costs.

A purchaser would have flexibility to continue with an owner-operated model or introduce employees as required, depending on their preferred opening hours and business strategy.



Financial Profile

We are advised historic annual turnover was £86,886, achieved whilst trading for only approximately 21 hours per week.

We are advised that historic net profit was £26,918, also achieved on this restricted 21-hour-per-week trading schedule.

These figures relate to the period when the business was actively trading and should not be interpreted as current trading figures, as the business has now ceased trading.

The historic performance nevertheless demonstrates the level of trade previously achieved from the premises despite the unusually limited opening hours.