Ian Taylor, negotiator at Fleurets, said he has noticed the trend over the summer, which he labelled a “washout” impacting on trade. However, he believes the venues provide a good opportunity to be turned into food-led destination sites.
Fleurets is marketing the Boat Inn at Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire (nil premium, free-of-tie lease); the Kings Lock in Middlewich, Cheshire (£275,000 freehold); the Arts Centre in Burscough, Merseyside (nil premium, free-of-tie lease); the Farmers Arms in Burscough, Merseyside (nil premium, part-tied lease); and the Waterloo in Runcorn, Cheshire (£195,000 freehold).
“The weather has not helped [trade in the venues]. What we want to do [at a riverside pub] is sit outside and watch the canal, but the past two years have been a washout,” he said.
Taylor added: “While the number of pubs closing in the UK has been grabbing the headlines, there are far more pubs that present people with an opportunity to combine home and work and in some cases allow them to enjoy a very different lifestyle — canal and riverside pubs are a great example of these opportunities.”
He explained that people don’t mind driving to a destination to have a meal, and the pubs available could be “excellent food venues”.
Guy Simmonds managing director Stephen Taylor has also seen more waterside pubs on the market. He said: “We have certainly seen more this year due to the disappointing summer and the economic climate.”
He added: “These properties are very desirable, they act as a magnet for tourists and make a nice place to live for licensees. But they’re only selling at realistic prices.”
Both agents said there has been a lot of interest for such properties from both experienced operators and those looking to enter the sector.