Fearn Post Office and Shop is a convenient village amenity ideally positioned in a prominent trading location on the B9165 (Station Road), in Hill of Fearn near Tain. Looking South towards the Cromarty Firth over attractive arable farming land, this property comprises a well-presented retail unit which operates as a convenient Post Office and Shop together with an adjoining 4-bedroom property and a self-contained 1-bedroom flat. Ideally situated on the main road through Hill of Fearn, the premises enjoys a steady footfall.
This Post Office and shop, whilst benefitting from the regular patronage of the locals throughout the year, enjoys peak trading during the spring and summer seasons. Internally, the retail aspects are easily accessible with the well-designed sales areas utilising a range of storage, shelving units and display stands. The sales counter sits just inside the main entrance with the Post Office Counter adjacent to the till area. A butcher’s counter is situated separately, towards the back of the shop, adjacent there is a separate and spacious meat preparation area. There is a wide range of products sold in the shop; traditional newspaper and magazine selection, fresh bread and milk, cold drinks and sandwiches. The butcher section sells a range of local meat items, including some delightful homemade products.
The owner’s accommodation has huge potential with a private entrance and private gated parking and comprises a spacious fitted kitchen, dining room, office (or possible 5th bedroom) three good sized bedrooms and bathroom on the ground floor, and an open plan large living room and master bedroom with ensuite on the 1st floor. Whilst entirely serviceable, this accommodation would benefit from a facelift.
The modern 1-bedroom self-contained attic flat has a lounge, shower room and kitchen. This has the potential to either be used as owners’ accommodation or as either a long term or a holiday letting unit. The 3 distinct elements combine to make a desirable flexible lifestyle business.
TRADE - Fearn Post Office and Shop is a compact retail unit with customer areas extending to around 80m2. Access from the B9165, the shop benefits from good visibility from roadside and easy ‘street level’ access and parking. The business offers a full Post Office service, and convenience store with butcher’s shop. “Highland Prime” Butchers sits to the rear of the store. This section provides fresh sustainable local meat products, including home-made “made to order” items. It also supplies local hotels and restaurants and delivers locally. The owner attends weekly Farmer’s markets successfully promoting and selling his brand. Most markets run all year round with a few being seasonal markets over the period May to September. In the shop a wide array of products is offered from greeting cards and cleaning products to wide ranging groceries and ice cream. The present trading configuration makes it an easy-to-operate business but there is scope to expand the trading platform. There is a large preparation area behind the butcher’s counter with a sink, large chest freezer, and separate storage. The butcher shop sells a wide range of bespoke meat and meat related products, some of which are produced on site. There is a small walk-in cold store located to the rear of the property, primarily used to store meat at the required temperature. The private recipes for the meat products will form part of the sale.
A separate counter area for shop sales and Post Office transactions has the benefit of storage shelves underneath, and a till, which also provides stock/account control for the shop. The layout of the shop allows for a flexible utilisation of the moveable fixtures and fittings. The current owner has a legacy contract with the Post Office for £10k per annum. The shop sells LPG gas and has a small cage enclosure, located at the front of the property.
The business has been profitable over the last few years and is a sustainable trading entity, enjoying both strong local trade and visitor footfall.
OPENING HOURS - The shop is a year-round operation and opens from 07:00-13:00 and 16:00-18:00 Monday to Friday and 07:00 to 12:30, on Saturday the shop is open from 07:00 to 12:00 and on Sunday the shop is closed. There is scope to extend the trading hours to include late opening and to open on Sundays; this may be particularly advantageous in the busy main season. The Post Office is currently open part time from 08:00 to 12:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays.
REASON FOR SALE - The present owners have owned the shop for 13 years and it is their desire to retire that brings this attractive business to the market. The owner has indicated that post sale he is willing to assist the new buyer(s) for an agreed hand over period, by separate negotiations.
Location
The property is ideally situated in a prime roadside trading location on the B9165 (Station Road), in Hill of Fearn, a few minutes off the A9 North Coast 500 route to Tain.
The area around Hill of Fearn has a strong farming tradition with some light and heavy engineering in the area associated with the oil and gas industry and renewable sector, not to mention the creation of the first green freeport in the Cromarty Firth. The influx of workers for oil and renewable industries makes this part of Ross-shire a vibrant business location. Hill of Fearn is close to the newly revitalized Nigg fabrication yard and a short drive to the busy A9; the arterial route from Inverness to Thurso. The local town Tain has good rail links with an excellent range of shops and amenities etc. for visitors and residents alike. Tain also has a full range of education facilities with Hill of Fearn having a primary school.
Accommodation
THE PROPERTY - The property is two-story building and comprises of 3 units. Facing from the road, in the center on the ground floor is the Post Office and shop. The entrance to the first floor one-bedroom self-contained flat is located between the shop and the 4-bedroom house and on the right-hand side of the property is the owners’ 4 bed two-story accommodation. There is a small domestic unit “Allison Cottage” on the extreme left-hand end of the building, this is not included in the sale.
POST OFFICE AND SHOP - The Post Office and shop premises have a well maintained and well-signed frontage. There is ample road side parking in front of the building for the shop and 1st floor self-contained accommodation. Constructed of block and render, the property has an insulated profile metal sheet roof over the Post Office and shop unit and an attractive Gambrel style roof on the owners’ accommodation. The ground floor Post Office and shop is easily accessed at street level from the road side parking and provides entry to the main retail sales and Post Office counter areas. Internally the shop is configured to a ‘L’ layout and utilises a good range of flexible fixtures and fittings including free-standing displays. The meat preparation and sales areas have food safe full height wall finishes. The main sales and Post Office counter is situated immediately inside the main entrance, providing practical control of the product display areas and facilitating good customer service.
SELF CATERING FLAT - The 1-bedroom self-contained flat is located over the trading areas. This accommodation has a private entrance through a part glazed door to the stairs from the roadside. An internal access to the Post Office and shop is located at the bottom of the stairs to the flat, this entrance has been blocked off. It is possible this could be reopened if the new owners felt this was desirable. The flat has a fitted kitchen which is fully electric with a large storage area off the kitchen, behind the work surface. A large shower room, lounge and bedroom all with sloped ceilings and Velux rooflight windows completes the property. The accommodation has storage heaters and electric key meter. This unit could either be used as the owner’s accommodation or rented out, as it is currently - generating an income of £450 per month.
OWNERS ACCOMMODATION - The owners’ accommodation (Allison House) is constructed of block and render and located to the right of the Post Office and shop. This accommodation has a private entrance with private gated parking. On the ground floor the property comprises a spacious fitted kitchen, dining room, office (or possible 5th bedroom), three good sized bedrooms and family bathroom. A spiral staircase leads you directly to a spacious living room with a lovely wood burning stove and patio doors which open onto a balcony with spectacular views south facing over arable farming land towards the Cromarty Firth. The southern elevation and balcony on the upper floor are timber lined. The master bedroom with ensuite is also located on the 1st floor.
GROUNDS - There is a significant area for off road parking in front of the post office, this area is finished with gravel and asphalt. To the rear and side of Allison House there is a private garden and parking area. Beyond this is a separate garden area with a polytunnel plot which does not form part of the sale. To the left of the building is the ground associated with Allison cottage and the store to the rear of the property, this area is demarked by a brick wall and does not form part of the sale.
Terms
SERVICES - The property benefits from mains electricity, water supply and drainage. Heating is provided by electric heaters throughout. LPG is used for cooking in the owner’s accommodation. The shop is fully covered by an internal alarm system.
EPC RATING - The EPC rating of the Post Office is C, the Flat is D and Allison House is a D.
PRICE - Offers over £390,000 are invited for the freehold interest complete with goodwill and trade contents (according to inventory). Stock to be purchased at valuation.
BUSINESS RATES / COUNCIL TAX - The trading elements attract a business rate of £3,500 (as at April 2023) – Ref no. 03/28/014402/0 which should allow the owners to benefit from 100% discount under the Small Business Rates Relief scheme resulting in a liability of £0 where eligible. The owners’ accommodation attracts a Council Tax banding of ‘F’ and the self-catering flat is Council Tax band ‘A’.
Specification
- Prime roadside trading location in heart of Ross-shire.
- Post Office, Convenience store and Butcher’s Shop unit with sustainable year-round business operation serving the local community.
- Adjoining owner’s 4-bedroom accommodation with private entrance.
- Modern 1-bedroom self-contained flat offering potential of additional income stream.
- Flexible home and lifestyle business with opportunity to develop.