Wickers World Café With B&B Rooms And Owners Apartment, Wick, Caithness, KW1 5EP

DESCRIPTION

Wickers World is a popular and busy restaurant / café with rooms, overlooking the harbour in Wick. The business is successful and enjoys a consistent turnover level, but there is still potential to increase this significantly by extending opening hours, opening Sundays and utilising the letting rooms more effectively. The area is popular with locals and tourists alike, and there is a further captive customer base from the workers involved with the offshore Beatrice windfarm.

The business comprises 3 distinct properties located within one building on the harbour in the Highland Town of Wick. The property on offer provides a rare opportunity to purchase a prominent, versatile business which enjoys spectacular uninterrupted views over Wick Harbour and Marina. This substantial building originates from circa mid-1800s. Since purchasing the business in 2019 the vendors have undertaken an extensive sympathetic modernisation programme, presenting both the external and internal aspects in fantastic condition. There is ample parking for both personal and business use in and around the harbour area. The café itself is busy and popular, offering quality meals utilising a range of locally sourced products and with a reputation for delightful home baking. The premises are presented in excellent condition with immaculate décor throughout both the business operation areas and the owner's accommodation.

Wickers World comes to the market ready to operate with no requirement for further significant capital investment. The current owners have carried out expensive refurbishment during their tenure, resulting in the turnkey opportunity on offer. The café sales account historically accounted for the majority of the turnover, but the current owners have invested in the self-catering rooms resulting in the provision of high-quality self-catering accommodation. The two / three bed flat is currently used as owners accommodation, however this would certainly make an extremely comfortable holiday let, with the appropriate statutory authority approvals.

LOCATION
The population of Wick is approximately 7,500 but with a much broader catchment area. Tourism is one of the main sources of income to the county in the main season with the locale being highly popular with walkers, cyclists, ornithologists and anglers and is a popular stop on the North Coast 500 route which passes through the town. The Wick Heritage Centre also provides a steady stream of clientele as this museum is a popular attraction, which attracts a high level of visitors and thus the location to Wickers World is ideal. The harbour itself draws many tourists who enjoy the location or take a trip on the inflatable rib offering coastal tours. The area offers a host of interesting archaeological sites and tourist attractions which include The Castle of Mey, residence of the late Queen Mother. Day trips to the Orkney Islands are another option for tourists. Caithness is also highly popular with people retracing their roots as the surrounding area has a long association with the Highland clearances. The Old Pulteney distillery, the most northerly mainland distillery, is a popular attraction and the harbour itself was substantially renovated a few years ago bringing both commercial and domestic trade into the area. The Pentland Firth area is a centre for renewable energy which attracts commercial trade to the general area. Projects such as the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm site was set up to install and maintain up to 110 large offshore wind turbines.

One of the main towns on the North Coast 500 route, Wick is a great location to visit the many other local attractions along the A9 corridor and situated within the towns of Thurso, John O'Groats, Helmsdale, Golspie and Brora. In terms of infrastructure Wick is very well supported and benefits from Primary and Secondary education, good leisure facilities and communication links with a railway station and airport. Wick also has excellent medical facilities available locally.

THE PROPERTY
Wickers World is an exceptionally well-presented business with attractive and spacious owner's accommodation. The business operation is laid out over three floors from street level, with a basement storage area. The property splits into 4 different use areas, all with direct access from the pavement; the café, the B&B, the owners accommodation and a storage area, which could be used as a separate complimentary retail space with its associated basement storage. The owners accommodation is set over two floors. The building is of traditional stone construction with pitched slate roof.

WICKERS WORLD CAFÉ /CAFÉ
This is a spacious, modern café which has been extended into 3 distinct sections providing 86 covers. Décor is light and bright with the facilities being of a good standard. Picture windows face the harbour and benefit from being double glazed. Furniture is wooden and practical with a country kitchen feel. Trade is consistent, with operating hours 9am - 4pm, 6 days a week, there is scope to offer evening service, as well as offer Sunday opening. Future potential is exciting given the recent redevelopment of the harbour. The clean and functional aspects of this business are evident, but it also presents a warm and welcoming atmosphere. With a stylish and practical laminate floor and attractive servery, the natural feel of this establishment is apparent. The service point has a good quality countertop and display areas. This first area is presently set to 26 covers. An opening leads into the second café area which is currently laid to 20 covers and continues with the same style of décor into the main portion of the property which is located to the front of the building which benefits from harbour views. Within this area are the toilets which are fitted out to a high standard; there is a ladies/disabled facility and a gents toilet.

COMMERCIAL SERVICE AREAS
The commercial service areas are located behind the servery, making customer service easy. A large baking / general prep area opens up into a very well fitted out commercial kitchen. This substantial and spacious workspace comes complete with top quality facilities, utensils, refrigeration units and food preparation aids. It has an effective extraction unit, PVC flooring and meets the highest standards both in facilities, cleanliness and output. The kitchen has a dry goods store, walk-in chiller and immediate access to the rear of the property to enable ease of deliveries etc. The premises are fully compliant with Environmental Health and Fire Regulations.

LETTING ROOMS
Accessed externally, a private entry door is located on the pavement next to the main entrance to the café. A small reception area sits at the bottom of a staircase which leads up to the first and second floors. Two spacious and beautifully finished bedrooms are located at each level. All rooms a set with king size double beds, however the larger room on each floor could be set up as a family room. All rooms are en-suite and offer shower facilities. The letting room accommodation rooms benefit from recent refurbishment, stunning views over the harbour and are double glazed offering flat screen TV's, hospitality trays and hairdryers. There is storage on the upper two floors for linen and general housekeeping material.

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION/SELF CATERING FLAT
The owners accommodation is a spacious apartment and is a very attractive element of this sale. Access is private and at ground level from Saltoun Street, the door opens to a staircase which leads up to the first and second floor accommodation. The size of the apartment is exceptional with generously sized rooms and halls. The accommodation comprises two/three delightful bedrooms (one is currently being used as a dining room), a family bathroom, a walk-in store (this was a shower room and all the infrastructure is still in place if the new owners wish to convert it back), a WC, large kitchen and a comfortable lounge with stunning views over the harbour. Whilst this is ideal owners accommodation, equally this part of the property could be used as letting accommodation as part of the overall business. The owners have access directly over an enclosed flat roof from their flat to the 1st floor of the B&B.

GROUNDS
There is no garden or grounds included with the property, however there is generous storage and basement area, as well as an excellent ground level store. There is a public car park close by and on street parking to the front.

SERVICES
The subjects benefit from mains electricity, mains gas, water and drainage. The central heating system is gas fired. The premises are double glazed throughout.

TRADE AND OPENING HOURS
The business trades profitably and generates consistently high turnover with the resultant profitability. The Café opens 6 days a week from 9am - 4pm. There is scope to extend the opening hours to include both an evening service and Sunday opening. There is a capable team of full and part time staff. Full accounting information will be made available to seriously interested parties subsequent to viewing.

RATEABLE VALUE
The rateable value of the elements of the business are as follows:
Café: £9,317 effective 1 April 2023
Letting accommodation: £4,900 effective 1 April 2023
Owners accommodation: Council Tax Band A

PRICE
Offers over £510,000 are invited for the Freehold interest complete with goodwill and trade contents (according to inventory). Stock at valuation.

WEBSITE


EPC RATING
The EPC rating are as follows:
Café: F
Letting accommodation: G
Owners accommodation: D

FINANCE & LEGAL SERVICES
ASG Commercial is in touch with several lenders who provide specialist finance to the hospitality trade. We will be delighted to discuss your financing requirements with you and make an appropriate introduction. We have access to a large variety of legal experts who can act in all legal matters arising.

DIRECTIONS
See map insert. What3word reference is ///reconnect.castle.pins

VIEWING
All appointments to view must be made through the vendors selling agents:
ASG Commercial
17 Kenneth Street
Inverness
IV3 5NR
Tel:
E-mail:
Web: