BizSale Small Business Blog. Small businesses for sale.

Six weeks after being appointed, administrators at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) have announced that Gravetye Manor Hotel and Country Club has been sold to a new entrant to the hotels market and that the business will continue to operate as a hotel.

Gravetye Manor is a Grade 1 listed Elizabethan manor house located seven miles from Gatwick Airport on the East Sussex/West Sussex border. It has iconic status as one of the UK's… Continue reading

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Exeter's Northcott Theatre has fallen into administration following a trustees' meeting on Wednesday evening, leaving a question mark over its future.

The Northcott, which is on the site of the University of Exeter, opened its doors on 2 November 1967, with Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. It has been serving up performances to east Devon's theatre-going public ever since, with the exception of 2007 when it closed for most of the… Continue reading

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The UK's tax regime has prevented a large of proportion of small businesses in the UK from taking on more staff and growing their organisations, according to new research.

Over half of firms questioned by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said taxes have had a negative impact on their chances of economic recovery. Businesses in the south-east of the country feel particularly strongly, closely followed by the north-west… Continue reading

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Punch Taverns has put a Northampton pub up for sale amid concerns over its future from local residents.

The fate of The Rose and Claret in West Hunsbury – the only pub in the area – was thrown into uncertainty after it was boarded up and rumours surfaced that it could be demolished to make way for housing.

A spokeswoman for Punch Taverns explained to reporters at the weekend that… Continue reading

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Pub chain Enterprise Inns has sold seven of its sites in London, raising £12 million from the auction.

The auction took place on Wednesday and each sale was offered to investors as a freehold with a 35 year lease and a break clause at 25 years, subject to six months notice.

This latest auction, through Allsops, brings the pub firm’s public auction income to £47 million. It says it may continue to… Continue reading

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An iconic B&B for sale in Shropshire is expected to attract "significant interest" from a wide range of potential buyers. The De Grey's Townhouse business sale is being handled by London-based Christie + Co, with a guide price of £1.25 million.

Home to De Grey's Tearooms for over 100 years, the Elizabethan property in Ludlow contains a licensed restaurant – with its own bakery shop – and nine bespoke guest bedrooms… Continue reading

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The agent responsible for 13 pub sales – that came about after Elizabeth Estates fell into administration in December – says there is "strong interest" in the freeholds of the free-of-tie tenanted establishments. The pubs for sale are available individually or as a group and it's believed they'll produce around £2.5 million.

At the moment the pubs, located in Suffolk and Essex, produce a combined rent of £213,000 and are being… Continue reading

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Barclays has made another £88 million of business loans available to small firms through the government's Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), introduced during the downturn to help companies struggling to raise funds.

Lord Davies – the trade, investment and small business minister – says the EFG has already helped "thousands of viable businesses" access the cash they need to withstand the recession and prepare for recovery.

"Following its recent extension, it will… Continue reading

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Confederation of British Industry (CBI) figures have highlighted that manufacturing production rose for the first time in two years in the three months to January, and now a billion-pound fund has been launched to keep the sector buoyed up.

Representatives for RBS/NatWest say the loans are being made available following feedback from customers in the industry who are anticipating growing demand for their products during 2010 and beyond.

It marks the latest… Continue reading

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The business sale story of the decade (so far) has ended in defeat for that sweetest of British institutions: Cadbury. After maintaining last month that it would not be swayed by a revised offer from US food giant Kraft, the confectioner's board advised shareholders to give in and accept the cheese manufacturer's proposal of 840 pence per share, valuing the company at £11.5 billion.

Attention in the Midlands – home to… Continue reading

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