Closed pub in South Wales sold through Christie network
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has completed on the sale of the Queen of Hearts, a closed freehold pub located on the A474, in the Welsh village of Cwmgors, on the outskirts of Ammanford.
Built in 1897, The Queen of Hearts is a substantial three-storey property which features a large ground-floor bar, restaurant and lounge area, an outdoor terrace and enclosed courtyard, and five letting rooms across the first and second floor. Two of the first-floor rooms are currently used as guest accommodation, whilst the remaining rooms have been utilised as part of an owner’s flat.
The pub has been owned by Kevin and Mandy Lawrence since 2015, when they purchased what was then known as TJ’s Tavern, through Christie & Co. Since this time, the couple has invested significantly into refurbishing the business and building up trade through a home-cooked food offering, which has proved popular with both locals and visitors travelling to the region to see nearby attractions, such as Carreg Cennen, one of the most spectacular castles in Wales and the Black Mountains.
After making the decision to retire, Kevin and Mandy returned to Christie & Co to bring the property to market, with the sales process led by Nicholas Calfe, Director in the South West Hospitality team.
The pub has been purchased by Sue and Dale Williams – a mother and son duo purchasing their second hospitality business. They live locally to the pub, in the village of Cwmgors, so are incredibly familiar with the area and know many members of the local community.
Kevin and Mandy comment, “Purchasing the pub through Christie & Co back in 2015 was a great experience, so it made sense to work with them again once we decided to sell. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Queen of Hearts, in fact, I wish I had kept a record of all the hilarious things that happened and were said, so I could write a best-selling book! Owning and running a pub was on our bucket list, as was retiring to a bungalow, so we’re looking forward to this next stage in our lives. We wish the new owners, Dale and Sue all the very best for the future and hope they enjoy running the pub as much as we did.”
Nicholas Calfe from Christie & Co comments, “It was a pleasure to work with Kevin and Mandy again after all of these years and I wish them a wonderful retirement. Best of luck to Sue and Dale as well, who will make a great success of the business I’m sure, not needing to call upon Christie & Co again for many more years to come!
“The freehold pub market in South Wales is extremely active at present, particularly for the lower end of the market and buyer demand continues to outstrip the number of businesses available for sale, making it a great time for independent operators to sell, so I urge anyone considering a sale to get in touch.”
Funding for Sue and Dale’s purchase of the Queen of Hearts was secured through hospitality finance specialist, Jimmy Johns, Associate Director at Christie & Co’s sister company, Christie Finance.
Jimmy comments, “It was a pleasure to assist Sue and Dale on securing funding for the purchase of the Queen of Hearts pub. They are both highly experienced operators with a proven track record of taking businesses from start up to fully trading.
“Opportunity exists for the pair to get the pub up and running again following a period of closure, with close family helping them to open and run the pub on a day-to-day basis. In what has been an extremely hard-hit hospitality sector, it is promising to see that lenders remain willing to the support the sector and this deal is a perfect example of how working with a hospitality finance specialist like Christie Finance, enables buyers to have access to lenders supporting the sector with the best rates and terms available.”
The new owners, Sue and Dale add, “Jimmy Johns of Christie Finance was a really great help to us, in not just sourcing the funding we needed, but also providing constant support and guidance throughout the purchase. Without him, there were stages where we thought we would not be able to buy the Queen of Hearts.”
For further information on this press release, contact:
Bronte Hughes, Corporate Communications Executive
P: +44 (0) 7721 420 656 or E: bronte.hughes@christie.com
Contact the agent:
Nicholas Calfe, Director – Hospitality (South West)
P: 0117 946 8504 or E: nicholas.calfe@christie.com
Contact Christie Finance:
Jimmy Johns, Associate Director
P: +44 (0) 771 1767593 or E: jimmy.johns@christiefinance.com
