7 Union Street, Portknockie, Buckie

• Immaculately presented, modernised fish and chip shop business.
• Ideally positioned in the centre of the ever-popular village of Portknockie.
• Consistently high levels of profit with rising turnover.
• Turn key, easy-to-operate year-round business benefitting from strong local clientele and tourist trade.
• Adjoining stunningly presented refurbished 3-bedroom family home.

DESCRIPTION
Portknockie Fish & Chip Shop is a very popular standout operation with an excellent reputation. The business sits in a prime trading location with a prominent frontage central to the popular seaside village of Portknockie. The village benefits from its location, lying on the popular North East 250 tourist route. The fish & chip shop is an exceptionally well-appointed and set-out business benefitting from the installation of new modern equipment throughout in 2019. The quality of fixtures and fittings in the trading and preparation areas are of the highest order. The well organised work space extends to about 48.41m2.

The external façade of the shop benefits from excellent signage and branding. Internally, the customer service area is clean and attractive and is equipped with professional displays and modern appliances resulting in a well-designed hot food sales area. To the rear is the separate preparation area, the standards are maintained with first class food preparation and storage facilities. Externally, there is a separate and intelligently appointed storage area with ample space for bulk stock and additional freezer storage.

The business is presented as a turn-key operation for new owners. A further attractive feature of this sale is the totally renovated owners 3-bedroom family home. This exciting lifestyle business opportunity is a "must see" for prospective buyers.

STAFF
The current business operation is managed by the owners who employ up to 13 part-time staff in the height of the season. During the winter period, around 10 staff are employed.

LOCATION
Portknockie is a picturesque cliff-top community overlooking the Moray coast and is a popular location to stay and explore the wider region. The fish and chip shop is situated in the centre of the village and within walking distance to the harbour and the coastal footpath of the Moray Firth which enjoys stunning rugged scenery along its shoreline. There is also a choice of spectacular walks on the pebbled and sandy beaches. There is a beautiful harbour with a swimming pool where people love to sit to take in the views and eat their fish and chips. The seas around Portknockie are home to a wide range of sea life and birdlife, the most popular are the Bottlenose Dolphins. The village has a population of around 1200 inhabitants with supporting amenities to include local shop, post office, hotel, pub, caravan site, bowling and tennis club, lamp shop, hairdresser, chemist, nursery and primary school. The nearest town of Buckie, about 5 miles away, offers numerous leisure facilities including a leisure centre with swimming pool, two links golf courses, and outdoor bowling greens. There are major NHS centres within the town, banking facilities, restaurants, cafés, pubs, local shops and supermarkets. Primary schooling is located in the village and secondary education is located in Buckie.

The villages of Findochty and Cullen are close-by offering many social and welfare facilities for local inhabitants plus pub, hotels, restaurants/cafes and campsites. The self-catering and other accommodation within the area draws tourists to the Portknockie Fish and Chip Shop, boosting trade especially during the main season. The local area offers a wide range of walks and other golf courses. There are many historical castles, cathedrals and monuments within a short drive of Portknockie. The famous Bow Fiddle Rock is within walking distance of the premises and there is also a Whisky Trail close by. The River Spey is a short drive away from the village and is world famous for its salmon and trout fishing. The angler is spoilt for choice with numerous rivers, beaches and local harbours all within a short distance of this property. The chip shop is set on the increasingly-popular and unique North East 250 tourist route which takes you through the whisky distilleries of Speyside, the spectacular Cairngorms National Park, the famous castles of Royal Deeside, the City of Aberdeen, the rugged North Sea coastline, and the picturesque seaside villages of the Moray Firth Coast. A comprehensive East Coast bus network operates through Portknockie and Buckie with the rail network operating from the nearest station of Keith, 10 miles away.

TRADE
The business is an easy-to-operate venture with a simple but highly effective trading model. Portknockie Fish & Chip Shop has an excellent trading reputation within its locality and people travel many miles to partake in their fayre; as reflected on review sites. The business has its own effective website and Facebook page. The trading unit has excellent and modern signage, providing an appealing exterior and impactful branding. The takeaway caters for a strong year-round demand from local residents and passing trade, with tourists significantly enhancing turnover during the tourist season. Portknockie Fish & Chip Shop provides traditional and high-quality fish and chip meals. They extensively cater for all dietary requirements including vegetarians and those with allergies. The business mainly sources it produce locally to ensure the best quality products are used in the food preparation.

A unique aspect of the business is the famous 'Crunchy Fried Pop Pop Chicken' which is exclusive to Portknockie Fish & Chip Shop at this time. The franchise and trading name were created by the owners in 1996 and whilst they are content to allow new owners to enjoy this aspect of their business, the trading name will not be allowed to be used in any further outlet without the express consent of the Seller.

The business current opening hours are 4:30 to 7:30 on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The Chip Shop previously successfully traded 6 days a week but due to personal reasons the owners recently made the decision to restrict trading to the current hours offered. A high percentage of sales are now by preordered phone calls on the day with walk-in trade also being welcomed and catered for upon availability. This routine is well known locally and works very effectively for all concerned. There is undoubtedly scope to extend opening hours further by trading 6 - 7 nights per week as well as opening during lunchtimes during the main tourist season. The current business enjoys a highly profitable return but has the potential to increase income further for those wish to do so.

REASON FOR SALE
The current owners purchased the property in November 2013 and finished total renovation of the house in 2016. After 10 years at the helm of this thriving business, they now wish to take on a new challenge in a different location thus bringing this excellent business venture to the market.

THE PROPERTY
The original house, which is located in a conservation area, was built in the 1820's and the shop dates from around 1951. The property is surrounded by roads, which provides the opportunity to advertise the business on all approaches. This opportunity has been fully taken advantage of resulting in the best exposure we have seen for any village business. The fish and chip shop is set on the ground floor and is constructed from concrete blocks with sheet metal profile roofing. Access to the customer areas is via a door from the open square area. There is a secondary rear delivery and staff fire escape door opening into the courtyard. Of traditional stone construction, the house is set over 1½ stories with a dormer projection. The house has a private entrance and is fully double glazed. Over the years the owners have reinvested excess profits into the property, creating the exceptional family home that results.

Over the years the whole property has effectively been taken back to the weather skin and renovated completely, including all wiring, plumbing and heating. In May 2019 the chip shop refurbishment was completed. All external services were replaced or upgraded - gas pipes, new water main, new service head & electricity supply. In September 2023, the roof in the store was completely replaced.

The house renovations also included the replacement of the dormer roof. The property has external lighting and benefits from external and internal CCTV. The property is fully double-glazed.

RETAIL & SERVICE AREAS
Entrance to the shop is via a single door leading into the customer service area which is beautifully presented with a modern stainless-steel food production / servery counter to the front and illuminated menu signage to the side. The internal décor of the trading aspects is delightfully presented and is enhanced with artistic representations of a bygone era and fishing scenes. The cooking elements include a Hopkins High Efficiency 3-pan frying range with 5 separate basket fryers to the rear for specific food cooking. The range has a glazed hot display unit above for hot-holding. There is also a double deck pizza oven, contact griddle and refrigeration. The shop has excellent extraction and has 2 air conditioning units, one in the customer service area and one behind the servery counter and fryers. A very good level of lighting is supplemented with double aspect windows providing not only natural illumination but a good view into an outstanding business for customers, as well as offering attractive sea views. The business has a fully automated EPOS system which facilitates ease of service.

To the side of the service area is a separate spacious food preparation room which boasts excellent dry storage, freezer and refrigerated storage and ample work spaces. This area is fantastically appointed with a range of cooking aids and appliances to include a potato rumbler and stand, mechanical chipper, electric hob, oven, Merrychef oven, microwave, grill, dishwasher etc. This area has 2 air conditioning units. There is a smart staff washroom to the rear aspects.

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION
An attractive aspect of this sale is the beautifully appointed owners house adjacent to the shop. The house is totally independent of the shop. The house has been fully renovated including rewiring, new plumbing and internal fittings throughout in 2016. The house benefits from LED down lights offering a bright living space. Upon entry there is a spacious entrance hallway with a useful under-stair cupboard. To the left is the lounge, with the family bathroom located centrally and to the right leading to the family kitchen / dining room plus utility area. The modern kitchen and utility rooms have been finished to a high standard with excellent work spaces and storage options plus the kitchen offers a dining space. The ground floor bathroom benefits from contemporary fittings to include a bath with shower-over plus wash-hand basin and W.C. The lounge has a glazed door leading to the courtyard and a window to the side. A feature fire place is set to the central back wall. Of good proportions, the lounge is ideal for family use.

Stairs provide access to the first floor where 3 delightful bedrooms are located. The stairs are attractively finished with glass panels which assist the circulation of natural light within the home. The master double bedroom is a pleasing room with an exposed stone wall with inset feature fireplace and en-suite. At the other end of the house there is a very striking spacious double bedroom. At the top of the stairs to the left, is a small double bedroom which is currently being utilised as an office; however, the desk pulls down to create a small double. All areas have been developed to an outstanding standard.

EXTERNAL
Between the house and shop there is a very attractive enclosed courtyard. This cleverly laid out space is laid to block pavers and has free-standing planters plus a raised flower border which has built in drainage. There is a large garage which is currently used as a storage for the shop. There is a purpose-built bin enclosure which has lighting and drainage for ease of washing down the bins. Externally there is also a double power point and an outside tap. Free car parking is available immediately adjacent to Portknockie Fish & Chip Shop. There is parking for a private car to the front of the house.

SERVICES
The shop benefits from mains electricity, gas, water and drainage. A gas-fired boiler provides underfloor heating for the ground floor of the house and wet radiators on the first floor. The business is completely fire and EHO compliant.

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
This sale presents opportunities to develop the current business such as:
Food delivery service opportunity.
Increase the number days traded and / or the hours traded per day.
This is a flexible property where a change of business use may be possible subject to the appropriate permissions.