New owner found for Somerset convenience store through Christie & Co

Situated in the heart of an affluent village of Nether Stowey in South Somerset, Littles Stores is approximately eight miles west of Bridgwater and ten miles north of Taunton. With a large prominent shop front, the store benefits from excellent levels of passing trade and is ideally situated close to a new large residential development, local schools and the Quantock Hills; an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a conservation area.

After being owned and operated by Jenny & Dave Hall for 26 years they are now looking to pursue other interests and to focus more on their existing B&B business, Merrywood. They comment, “We instructed Christie & Co in May, following a drop-in visit to our store by Jamie Williams and a subsequent meeting to discuss our intention to sell the business. The process was run very professionally with regular contact from Jamie, who always kept us informed and offered expertise throughout the sale.”  

The business has been purchased by Chrysanthi & Indi Weerawarna, who have previous experience as franchise owners of a petrol filling station in Wellington, Somerset. After spending a short period of time out of the retail sector they are returning with the acquisition of Littles Stores, and plan to invest in re-fitting and upgrading the store. They commented “We would like to thank Jenny, Dave and Jamie for their hard work in helping to complete the deal swiftly. The store has been successfully run for a long period and we are excited to bring fresh ideas to the business and grow it further.”

Jamie Williams, Business Agent at Christie & Co handled the sale and adds, “Jenny & Dave have seen the sales steadily increase throughout their tenure, so this is an ideal business for Chrysanthi & Indi who are acquiring a strong retail business, with scope to increase trade. The business is well established and offers an ideal platform to re-enter the retail sector and build upon the excellent current trading position. The quick sale of Littles’ further demonstrates our relationship with active buyers in the sector and proves there is demand for leasehold, lock up stores in rural locations.”

Rhys Cunnah, Finance Consultant at Christie Finance secured finance for the purchasers and commented, “It was great to work with Chrysanthi & Indi, who having so much experience, will no doubt be excellent hands on owners. I’m very pleased I managed to arrange for the funding to be available for them to complete the purchase within 48 hours of the introduction from Jamie Williams. I look forward to seeing them succeed in their new challenge.”