Prospective purchasers should note that the business has ceased trading and is being offered as an asset sale.
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.
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.
