South Street

Overview
An exciting opportunity to acquire a vibrant and highly regarded café ideally positioned on busy South Street in the heart of Bishop’s Stortford. Benefiting from a striking façade and contemporary interior fit-out, this well-established business enjoys strong local custom and excellent passing trade, making it a turnkey proposition for both experienced operators and newcomers to the sector.

Premises
The property occupies a prominent ground floor unit with attractive frontage, featuring unique artwork and excellent kerb appeal. Inside, the premises have been refurbished to a high standard, providing a welcoming and modern environment with a clever use of space, stylish décor, and quality furnishings.

Seating:
Generous open-plan customer seating area, with a mix of tables, chairs, and comfortable banquette seating, providing for approximately 26–30 covers.

Service Counter:
Well-positioned barista counter with pastry display and back bar for efficient customer service.

Kitchen:
Fully equipped commercial kitchen with stainless steel prep and work surfaces, extraction, gas cooking equipment, refrigeration, and warewashing facilities.

Ancillary:
Rear storage area and staff WC.

Customer WC:
Modern fitted with disabled access.

Key Features

Prime town centre location, moments from the station, retail and offices

Turnkey operation – ready to trade from day one

Contemporary, on-trend fit-out and branding

Fully fitted commercial kitchen and equipment

Favourable rent and lease terms available (details on request)

Consistent daytime trade with potential for extended hours or new concepts

Excellent scope for owner-operator or small group expansion

Location
Located on a busy thoroughfare in Bishop’s Stortford, surrounded by independent and national retailers, with high footfall from both locals and commuters. Excellent visibility and convenient access, with public parking nearby.

Business Potential
The café has built a loyal customer base with its high quality coffee, breakfast and lunch menu, and welcoming atmosphere. There is considerable opportunity to further develop the business through extended trading hours, delivery, evening trade, or private hire/events.

Fixtures, Fittings & Equipment
All fixtures, fittings, and equipment are included in the sale, ensuring a seamless handover for the new operator.

Tenure
Leasehold – full details and rent available upon request.

Viewing
Strictly by appointment through the selling agent.

Location

The premises are situated in a prominent position on South Street in Bishop’s Stortford town centre. The location benefits from strong footfall and excellent visibility, surrounded by a mix of independent shops, national retailers, and other hospitality businesses. The property is conveniently located close to public transport links and parking, and is just a short drive from Stansted Airport, making it highly accessible for both local customers and visitors.

Shop

This well-presented ground floor unit features an attractive shopfront with excellent visibility. Inside, the space is modern and inviting, offering seating for 26–30 covers in an open-plan layout. The premises include a well-equipped service counter, a fully fitted commercial kitchen, customer WC with disabled access, staff WC, and rear storage. Ideal for café or food use, ready to trade immediately.

Kitchen

The premises benefit from a fully equipped commercial kitchen, featuring stainless steel preparation areas, gas cooking equipment, extraction, refrigeration, and warewashing facilities. The kitchen is designed for efficiency and meets the needs of a busy café or food operation, allowing for smooth service and high food production standards.

Dining Area

The dining area offers a bright and welcoming atmosphere, with contemporary décor and comfortable seating for 26–30 covers. The open-plan layout maximises space, creating an inviting environment for customers to relax and enjoy their meals.

Toilet

The premises include a modern customer WC, finished to a good standard.

Tenure

Current Leave has 6 years and 10 months remaining at a rate of £18,000 per year

Trading Hours

The café currently operates the following schedule: Wednesday–Thursday: 08:30 – 14:30 Friday–Saturday: 08:30 – 15:00 Sunday: 09:00 – 14:30 Monday & Tuesday: Closed These hours provide a solid daytime trade foundation, with potential for the incoming operator to extend into evenings, weekends, or early mornings if desired.

Staff

The business is run under management by 2 Directors, 2 full-time staff (1 on Maternity leave) and 6 part-time members of staff. (one weekend day each a week)

Turnover

turnover averages approximately £3,750 per week after tax. Trading to the usual high gross profit margins associated with the trade.

Business Rates

The premises have a rateable value of £16,000. Based on the current multiplier (49.9p), the annual rates payable are approximately £7,984 before any reliefs. Qualifying businesses in the retail and hospitality sector may benefit from a 40% relief, reducing the payable amount to approximately £4,790.40 per annum. Interested parties are advised to verify their eligibility with the local authority.

Legal Costs

Each party are to be responsible for their own legal costs incurred in this transaction plus 50% of the landlord's legal costs

Disclaimer

Whilst every care is taken to ensure that these particulars are correct, accuracy is no way guaranteed and none of the information supplied forms part of any contract. Acceptance of these particulars constitutes a contract to the effect that all negotiations for the business or property will be made through Gilbert & Rose otherwise the purchaser will be equally responsible with the vendor for damages equal to the amount of our commission.