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Star-studding Edinburgh hotel for sale

A five-star Scottish hotel frequented by the stars is up for sale following the collapse of its parent group.

The prestigious Glasshouse Hotel in Edinburgh - which has welcomed celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Annie Lennox and Meryl Streep - is on the market after the Eton Collection Group collapsed.

The glitzy Edinburgh hotel, which opened in 2003, and four other hotels owned by the group are now looking for new owner... Continue Reading


Law firm helps small business make big sale

A Newcastle business man has credited the guidance of a UK law firm in helping him to sell his small business, a mobile phone firm, for an impressive £3.6 million.

When Ian Gillespie, majority shareholder of Fone Logistics, sold his company recently it was with the assistance of Muckle LLP law firm – a company he first contacted when he was setting up his small business 15 years ago.

Fone Logistics supplies mobile h... Continue Reading


Pubs go under the hammer to repay debts

A number of central London pubs will go under the hammer next month in a sale-and-lease-back enterprise by a pub group.

In an effort to raise funds to pay off debts, Enterprise Inns will put 10 London pubs on the market and then lease back the premises. The pub group hopes to raise almost £11 million through the process.

In line with previous sell-and-lease-back auctions, Enterprise Inns proposes to lease back the pubs... Continue Reading


Franchise industry is weathering economic storm

New figures just released show that franchises are bucking the economic trend and continuing to be profitable.

Despite the much publicised downturn, franchise businesses have remained a success story. The release of the 2010 Natwest/BFA Annual Continue Reading


Cable pledges contracts for small business

A serious boost to small business is on the way if a pledge to award Government contracts to the sector is realised.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said this week that the government still intends to award a quarter of all government contracts to small and medium sized businesses.

“Our policy is to ensure that 25 per cent of public procurement goes to the small business sector. We need to give access through small sca... Continue Reading


Reality show B&B on the market

A thriving B&B made famous by reality TV is still being sold despite increased bookings.

The couple behind the sale of the Georgian style B&B – which featured on Channel 4 last month – say the business is still up for sale, despite a boom in bookings since the show aired.

After taking part in the ‘Three in a Bed’ series which showcased the country’s best value guesthouses and B&Bs, business at the Bridport, Dor... Continue Reading


What the Tory-led coalition will mean for small business

For the million-plus small business owners in the UK, the 'selection' of the Conservatives by the Liberal Democrats as coalition partners will come as a huge relief.

Assuming the Lib-Dems have not negotiated assurances from the Tories to the contrary, we can expect the following pledges to be enacted over the coming year:

A reduction in the the small companies' rate of corporation tax from 22p to 20p
... Continue Reading


Gravetye Manor Hotel is sold by administrators

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 firs... Continue Reading


Exeter theatre enters administration

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 c... Continue Reading


FSB calls for tax 'helping hand' for small businesses

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 an... Continue Reading


Buyer sought for Northampton pub for sale

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 the pub site had been boarded up for se... Continue Reading


Enterprise Inns sells seven London pubs

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 raise as much as £2... Continue Reading


Shropshire B&B for sale for more than £1m

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, in add... Continue Reading


Agent optimistic about Suffolk and Essex pubs for sale

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 ... Continue Reading


More small business loans opened up through EFG

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. Continue Reading