Overview
Victoria's Sponge is a well-established and highly regarded tea room and café occupying a prime High Street position in the heart of Steyning. Since opening in 2019, the business has built an outstanding reputation for quality homemade food and service, reflected in exceptional online ratings of 4.8 stars on Google, 4.7 stars on Trustpilot and 4.9 stars on Facebook.
While positioned as a traditional tea room, the business benefits from a broader café-style offering, including paninis, light lunches and takeaway options. This enhances both customer appeal and average spend, creating a more commercially robust and profitable model.
The business enjoys a loyal and repeat customer base, supported by strong word-of-mouth, excellent online visibility and consistent year-round trade. This is a genuine turnkey opportunity, allowing a buyer to step into a fully operational and profitable business from day one.
Business Highlights
- Well-established tea room and café trading since 2019
- Headline annual turnover of around £250,000
- Prime, high-visibility High Street position with strong pedestrian footfall
- Exceptional online reputation: 4.8 stars on Google, 4.7 on Trustpilot, 4.9 on Facebook
- Blended tea room and café model capturing both casual coffee trade and lunchtime demand
- Loyal, repeat customer base with consistent year-round trade
- Low overhead base, with no business rates payable
- Fully fitted and operational, offered as a ready-to-trade opportunity
The Business
The business operates a flexible and well-balanced tea room and café model, generating income from traditional tea room offerings including cakes, teas and coffees; light lunches including paninis and café-style food; eat-in dining; and takeaway food and beverages.
This blended model appeals to a broad customer base, capturing both casual coffee trade and lunchtime demand, increasing both footfall and average transaction value. The operation is simple, efficient and proven, with strong margins typical of the sector. The primary value lies in the established trading name, outstanding online reputation, loyal customer base, strong local brand recognition and fully fitted premises.
The business is currently operated by the owner, supported by one full-time and two part-time staff members, providing a manageable and efficient staffing structure with flexibility for a new owner.
Location
Victoria's Sponge occupies a prime High Street position within Steyning, an affluent and highly desirable market town in West Sussex. The location benefits from high-visibility frontage on a busy High Street, strong and consistent pedestrian footfall, and a cluster of surrounding independent retailers and hospitality venues.
An affluent residential catchment with strong spending power, combined with tourist trade driven by proximity to the South Downs, underpins the business's consistent performance and long-term stability.
Premises & Tenure
The premises are well presented and configured for café use, offering approximately 28 internal covers along with additional external seating, creating a welcoming and flexible customer environment. The tenure is leasehold, on a rolling agreement with the option for a new lease. Favourable lease terms and a low overhead base contribute significantly to the strong net profit performance.
Financial Overview
The business demonstrates strong and consistent trading performance:
- Annual turnover: £250,000
- Net profit: £70,000
This represents an excellent level of profitability for a business of this size, supported by strong margins, efficient cost control and consistent customer demand. The business also benefits from a low overhead structure, including no business rates payable, further enhancing overall profitability.
Growth Potential
There is clear scope to grow the business further through relatively straightforward initiatives:
- Introduction of delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat
- Expansion of takeaway and click-and-collect services
- Extended opening hours
- Increased marketing and digital presence, including online ordering integration
- Development of catering or external sales channels
A motivated buyer could increase both turnover and profitability through these measures.
Reason for Sale
The business is offered as a fully operational, ready-to-trade opportunity, allowing a new owner to step straight into an established and profitable operation.
Next Steps
Victoria's Sponge represents an excellent opportunity to acquire a profitable and well-established tea room and café in a highly desirable High Street location. With its exceptional online reputation, strong financial performance, loyal customer base and simple operating model, the business offers a compelling and low-risk acquisition suited to a wide range of buyers. To arrange a viewing or discuss this opportunity further, please contact Goodwins Business Brokers. Full details are available in the Information Memorandum.
