so i started a bike shop. update 31/07/24

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Hope it turns out ok

 

[Spankyfart]

Hope everything works out m8, hang in there.

 

[d8mok]

Have you searched for upcoming newly built units/shops?

Obviously irrelevant for you but locally we seem to have more shops/ buildings empty than occupied and they just keep building more.

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

Good luck Jon.

Do you think moving towards hythe/totton would boost your business? You are a *little* bit out of the way.

 

[jonnyboy666]

thanks for comments guys, i have got a possible option, but it's a long shot at the moment, basically it depends on someone elses business closing, he approached me so i don't feel like a vulture about it. it is further up the main road, not as good visibility wise but the unit is much better, very much a case of fingers crossed though!

 

[brocklanders023]

Good luck mate and with at least a year to sort it I'm sure something suitable will turn up. If it's anything like Skipton then shops are becoming available all the time!

 

[daneferrari]

Best luck with your shop, man!
Looks amazing

 

[greencat]

ok, the poo might have hit the fan.

the building i am in is being sold. i don't know what this means yet, but the whole site is worth 2.5 to 3 million, no one is gonna buy that other than a big property developer, all 7 companies on site are crapping it. i by no means have it the worst, there's a car sales that has been going 2 years, they are doing really well and have expanded in to one extra unit and taken on 2 new employees, then there is a builders merchant/window/conservatory company that has been there 25 years, both those 2 are gonna struggle finding somewhere. so i think i am not in as bad a position as them as they both need bigger premises than me.

i have looked around the entire area, there's not much available and what is available is not ideal for many reasons, lack of parking etc, too expensive. let alone the actual costs of moving.

currently i am not sure what is happening, we have been told that we will have at least a year once the sale has gone through. but currently we don't know who the potential buyer might be. i may have found a place, but i won't know for a month or so.

i am pretty gutted about it to be honest, but if the place i want is available it could be really cool.


this is an older pic, but i think the shop looks good, it'll be a shame to move.

View attachment 733620

No possibility of you all clubbing together to buy the site?

 

[moonlite]

Hope the new place comes through -- we need our LBSs.

 

[jonnyboy666]

disaster update, this morning i was told the site was sold, apparently to a supermarket chain, can't be tescos or sainsbury as they are in the village already, this is not official yet though.

then as if by magic the guy whose place i'd like to move to texted me, he's defo vacating the unit. sounds like i have first refusal, he's keen for me to get it, he's trapped in a lease but he's allowed to sublet, he's gonna talk to the owner and see if i can go direct but if not he sounds happy to sublet till his lease is done at which point i can take over when his lease is up and arrange it myself direct with the landlord, but he'd be happy to not have to deal with it so if the landlord is happy to bin his lease to have me with no in between person then we'll aim for that.

the unit is a industrial unit on an industrial estate, it's reasonable new, has a mezzanine deck, a big shutter front door that i could drive my van in to! it's a mile up the road from where i am, which is technically a better place to be, the only downside is it's not as obvious where it is but i don't think that will be an issue, there is plenty of parking as well.

so hopefully this is disaster averted! fingers crossed this is what's gonna happen.

to be honest i looked at these units 3 or so years ago, but i didn't know they had smaller units like the one i am looking at, i thought they were one standard large size which meant a rent of £21,000! obvs i can't afford that!

i really hope this comes off.