7/22/2019 | Retail

North Lincolnshire village post office & store owned by famous British chef sold

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co has sold Winteringham Village Post Office & Store, situated in the heart of Winteringham, a rural village in North Lincolnshire.

The well established post office and store plays a central role in the community and benefits from strong levels of trade. The post office is designated as a protected community site and provides an outreach service to nearby West Halton once per week. The property also benefits from spacious family accommodation, with a lounge room and four bedrooms. 


 
The business was previously owned by Colin McGurran, a British chef most famous for his appearances on Saturday Kitchen and The Great British Menu, and his wife Bex McGurran, who together own and operate the prestigious Winteringham Fields restaurant. The pair originally purchased Winteringham Post Office & Store to house staff who work at the restaurant. The McGurrans fully refurbished the shop and employed a full time manager to run the business, but after 12 years of ownership, they decided to sell the business in order to free up time to spend with their family, concentrate on their other business interests and pursue their ambition of sailing in their own yacht, which is a family hobby.

Colin comments, “My wife, Bex, and I are delighted to have completed the sale of the post office after almost 12 years of ownership. The sale will free up some much needed time for us to spend with the family and to concentrate on our continued commitment to our hospitality businesses at both Winteringham Fields and the Hope and Anchor at Barton upon Humber. 

“We chose Christie & Co as our selling agent as they are a recognised specialist in the sector and Jon Booth at Christie & Co was able to clearly illustrate the strength of their routes to market over the competition. The sale took a little longer than we had been hoped for but ultimately Jon and the team at Christie & Co assisted us every step of the way with the exit strategy. My wife and I are looking forward to what the new owners do with the store, which is at the heart of the community we are both still part of.” 

The new owners are experienced retail operators from the area who are returning to the sector having sold their business several years ago. They intend to further engage with the local community, overhaul the merchandising and grow sales. 

Jon Booth, Senior Business Agent at Christie & Co handled the sale and comments, “Winteringham is a lovely village location and the successful sale of the business and freehold concern shows that, with a full and open marketing campaign, rural, lifestyle businesses such as Winteringham Village Post Office & Store remain in demand. It was a pleasure dealing with the McGurrans and we wish them all the best with their future plans.”

Winteringham Post Office & General Store was sold off an asking price of £325,000 for the freehold interest.