Well-fitted fish & chip shop, Colchester council estate

Key features

• £5,000–£6,000 weekly turnover on a conventional menu
• Council lease — same hands for 15 years
• Free car park directly in front of the shop
• Closing 9.00pm latest, no late-night trading
• Priced at £84,950, serious offers considered for quick sale

About this business

A smartly fitted fish & chip takeaway in the heart of a large Colchester council estate, turning over £5,000 to £6,000 a week on a traditional menu and closing at 9.00pm latest. The current owner has held the shop for 15 successful years and is now selling on health grounds, priced at £84,950 with serious offers invited for a quick sale. The lease is held directly with the council, the parade has its own free car park, and the catchment is set to grow further with a major housing development proposed nearby.

Trading figures

Weekly turnover sits in the region of £5,000 to £6,000, taken almost entirely over the counter on a fairly conventional fish & chip menu. The shop closes at 9.00pm latest, so the takings are achieved without late-night trading — there is clear scope for new ownership to push the figures further.

Trading hours

Monday to Saturday: 11.30am – 9.00pm. Closed Sunday.

Business premises

A mid-terrace parade shop with the benefit of a car park directly in front, a fully glazed frontage with single door, and an eye-catching lit coloured fascia overhead. The sales shop is bright, airy and a good size, very well fitted with tiled walls and flooring under a suspended illuminated ceiling, fronted with a three-pan range and an attractive counter extension. Behind the frying and serving area, tucked into the corner, is a stainless-steel-clad cooking section with overhead extractor, shelving and a large menu display above. The layout continues through to a fully tiled preparation room which incorporates potato work and gives access to a rear service road for deliveries. A garage sits off the rear (let separately at around £75 monthly) which the business uses for storage. Throughout, the shop presents as clean, tidy and well maintained.

Trade equipment

The headline item is a three-pan Preston & Thomas counter range, supported by a good assortment of trade kit: rotisserie grill, POS till system, four-pot bain-marie, stainless steel fish keeper, salad servery, double-door glass-fronted fridge, griddle, separate fridge, upright freezer, double-door freezer, chipper and 56lb peeler. A full trade inventory will be provided prior to completion. (Items of equipment have not been tested by Rosens — buyers should commission an independent inspection.)

Accommodation

Lock-up shop — no residential accommodation is included in the sale.

Trading position

Firmly established on a local parade of six shops, with the run of free parking immediately in front and bus stops on a busy through-route directly outside. The shop sits in the heart of a huge council estate, which produces steady year-round local trade alongside the passing traffic. The seller has informed us that a large housing development is proposed in the vicinity, which would expand the catchment further and underpin a healthy future for the business.

Special remarks

An excellent opportunity to acquire a well-fitted shop with the security of a council lease, sold by an owner who has built up a strong local reputation over 15 years of successful trading. The reason for sale is genuine — health issues are forcing the decision after a decade and a half in the same hands — and the shop is being offered at below market value, with serious offers invited for a quick sale. For a hands-on operator stepping into an established, year-round trade with a closing time of 9.00pm and a captive estate catchment, the proposition is straightforward and the upside is there to be taken.