THE Chester franchise of a popular sweet shop and party venue business is up for sale.

The current owners of Spavens in Hoole have instructed Blacks Business Brokers to find a new operator to take over the franchise.

They are looking for offers in the region of £75,000.

Spavens Chester operates from both floors of a two-storey premises on Hoole Road.

The ground floor is home to a traditional sweet shop while the upper floor includes two craft rooms for hosting children’s parties, hen nights and other groups.

The Spavens brand has its origins in Mold, Flintshire, where it has been a fixture for more than 30 years.

The Chester franchise was established in 2017 by friends Clare Barlow, Jude Jones and Debbie Horncastle after the trio spent an afternoon at the Mold shop and noticed a sign advertising the opportunity to set up a new franchise.

According to Ms Barlow, the business would now be best suited to ownership by one individual or family.

Chester and District Standard:

She says that, since reopening in a Covid-secure manner post-lockdown, reservations for the craft rooms have recovered strongly, and that for several weeks during the summer holidays they were fully booked.

The business is being sold fully equipped with a range of confectionary and catering equipment, including a candy floss machine, pancake makers and ice cream freezer.

It also comes with a pottery kiln to fire customers’ ceramic creations and a bespoke sweet cart that allows the shop to sell its goods at fairs and other events.

The owners are seeking offers in the region of £75,000 to take over the Spavens franchise and the lease on the property. The leasehold property also carries annual rent of £16,000.

In addition, a monthly franchise fee is payable to Spavens Mold. This is calculated based on sales on a sliding scale.

Callum Pollard, customer service executive at Blacks Business Brokers, said, "Our clients have done a fantastic job establishing Spavens in Chester, and have received strong support from the franchisors in Mold, who have given them the flexibility to adapt the model to take advantage of local market conditions while remaining true to the original brand.

"It’s a profitable business with many strings to its bow, from the core sweet shop to children’s craft activities and evening bring-your-own drinks ceramics sessions for adults. Its mobile sweet cart will also provide a further revenue stream when public events start happening again.

"The franchisors are really supportive and will provide whatever help a new owner requires. This is a fabulous opportunity and I expect a lot of interest."

  • All enquiries should be directed to Blacks Business Brokers on 0333 370 0000, quoting reference 7235.