Run a Star Pub - Ferry Boat Inn Whitchurch On Thames - Reading

If you’ve benefited from running or owning a pub business, we’d love to hear what experience you can bring. The right operator for Ferry Boat Whitchurch will have extensive experience in food-led hospitality businesses with letting accommodation. They will have a clear vision for a quality food and drink menu, strong standards in guest accommodation, and a marketing strategy that drives destination dining as well as local loyalty, and can create a memorable experience for their customers.

A refurbishment investment of around £85,000 is planned to transform the Ferry Boat Whitchurch into a refreshed premium local with strong food credentials at its heart. What would you do with this pub to make it a success? The Ferry Boat Whitchurch is a characterful village pub with an established reputation for food and a loyal older customer base. With a well-defined trading layout including a main bar, separate dining room and snug area, it offers the foundations to reposition the business and rebuild its reputation in the local community. The planned investment will enhance kerb appeal and reinforce its position as a quality village destination.

About the area: Located in the village setting of Whitchurch, the pub sits within walking distance of approximately 1,500 adults. It benefits from a steady flow of local trade, with a decent number of regulars helping to keep the site busy. Competition comes from three other pubs within a ten minute walk, including a Punch, Greene King and Stonegate site. However, their food offer is considered fairly basic. This creates a clear opportunity for the Ferry Boat to stand out with a high quality, well executed food proposition that attracts customers from further afield as well as retaining its local base.

The refurbishment will help reposition the pub as a premium local, broadening its appeal to families, casual diners and those seeking a more refined village pub experience, while maintaining its strong local following. Demographics: The current customer profile is an older demographic with a strong focus on food. Following refurbishment, there is an opportunity to appeal to a broader and more diverse customer base, attracting families and casual diners while encouraging more walk-ins and destination visits driven by an improved food offer.

The planned £85,000 investment will focus on enhancing the external frontage and signage to improve kerb appeal and reinforce the pub's premium local positioning. While the internal trading layout already supports both bar and dining occasions, the refreshed exterior will signal a step change in quality and help rebuild the pub's reputation in the community. Works will include new external signage and improvements to the pub's frontage, creating a stronger first impression and a more inviting arrival experience. The pub garden will also benefit from improved presentation, helping maximise seasonal trade and outdoor covers.

These improvements will support a repositioning around a quality food offer that sets the Ferry Boat apart from nearby competitors whose food is more basic. With a catering kitchen already in place and a clear ambition to elevate standards, the focus will be on delivering a compelling menu that attracts families, casual diners and customers from outside the immediate village. The site also benefits from five letting rooms, offering further opportunity to drive incremental revenue and establish the pub as a destination for short stays as well as dining. A strong, experienced food and lettings operator will be essential to unlock this full potential.

Why invest? This scheme is designed to rebuild the pub's reputation locally and reposition it as the go-to premium food-led pub in the village. By improving kerb appeal and strengthening its market position against nearby competitors, turnover is expected to increase by £90,000 to approximately £430,000 per annum.

• Features

• Investment Tenancy
• Catering Kitchen
• Function Room
• Smoking Area
• Car Park
• Outdoor Trade
• Private Accommodation

Trading Area & Facilities

• Main trading area with bar
• Separate dining room
• Snug area
• Catering kitchen
• 43 internal covers
• 10 external covers
• Pub garden
• 5 letting rooms
• HEINEKEN SmartDispense
• Car park with 6 spaces
• Private accommodation with 2 bedrooms

Applicants should be aware that all refurbishments are subject to final board approval which will be determined as part of the leasing process. Where a significant investment is made in a pub by Star Pubs, an "Investment Exemption" will be required. The exemption means that the option of a Market Rent Option lease won’t be available at rent review for a period of up to seven years for this site, as per The Pub Code (2016). Private accommodation consists of two bedrooms with en-suite, a living room, bathroom.

Pub Financials: With our 5 Star Promise, the rent at the start of your agreement is fixed until the end of its initial term. Indicative entry costs £28,811. Annual Estimated turnover £431,417. Annual rent £32,084. Entry costs deposit £8,021. Estimated Fixtures & Fittings value £12,290. Stock valuation £5,000. Working capital required £3,500. The above figures are provided as a guide only and will be finalised as part of the commercial agreement. All figures quoted are exclusive of VAT.

Estimated working capital is an estimate of key start-up costs such as professional fees, training fee, premises license fee, F&F valuation fee & till floats. There will be additional ongoing charges payable during the term of the agreement such as property maintenance, repairs fund, SmartDispense. These costs will be outlined prior to completing a business plan and finalised at Heads of Terms. The calculation of the Estimated Minimum Ingoing Costs assumes a minimum deposit of 1 month’s rent and that fixtures and fittings (F&F) are rented. The subsequent deposit build up and F&F rental costs should be included in your financial assumptions in your business plan. Note that on FRI and Investment Tenancy Agreements deposits will always be 3 month’s rent in advance and fixtures and fittings (F&F) must always be purchased. A deposit of 6 month’s rent will be required for operators trading under a Limited Company with no guarantors. In order to ensure a successful start-up, all applicants must have a minimum £10,000 un-borrowed funds.