The essential journalist news source
Back
26.
March
2018.
CBeebies pet shop in Croydon for sale
Can you handle a rat?CBeebies pet shop for sale

26 March 2018: A much-loved pet shop in New Addington, Croydon, that features in a regularly repeated BBC children's TV programme, has been put up for sale. Burgess Boys Pet Care Centre on New Addington's Central Parade, which appears inan episode of the CBeebies show My Pet and Me, is on the market with Blacks Business Brokers for £95,000.

Proprietor Ken Burgess, who now plans to retire, acquired the business in 1979 when he decided to draw a line under a successful career working for multinational corporations and spend more time with his young family. The premises had already been trading as a pet and garden supplies shop for 20 years when he purchased it.

After taking over, Mr Burgess decided to concentrate almost exclusively on pets, although the business does still sell bedding plants, for which it has a strong reputation locally. The business was renamed "Burgess Boys" at his wife's suggestion in honour of their three - at the time - young sons.

The business now sells a wide range of small animals, birds, reptiles, tropical and coldwater fish. Over the years it has become a fixture of the New Addington community, hosting a popular children's painting competition and regularly providing work experience placements to local students and the wider community.

Mr Burgess is also chair of the New Addington Business Improvement District, a City and Guilds examiner in Pet Store Management, a former board member of the Pet Care Trust (now known as the Pet Industry Federation), and a regular media commentator on pet care issues. According to Mr Burgess the shop's two full-time and three part-time staff are very highly trained and will be able to provide a seamless transition when a new owner takes over.

"Burgess Boys runs without me," Mr Burgess said. "I do a lot of profile-raising work but the staff are all experts in animal husbandry, and they are the people the customers come in to see.

"I would say that a new owner would need to have a passion for animals, and a commonsense approach to retail, but the staff would be able to run the shop on a day-to-day basis. I would also be happy to assist for however long it takes for them to get their feet under the table."

Burgess Boys had takings of £286,000 in its most recent financial year, on which it made a gross profit of £122,980. The business is being offered for sale on a leasehold basis for £95,000, plus a weekly rent of £442 per week.

According to Mr Burgess a new owner could make more of the shop's website and social media activity, both further to increase footfall and to grow online sales.

"We also have a huge rear driveway," he continued. "If I was staying on I would build on that space to extend the area of the shop so we could expand the business."

Shannon Forrester, marketing facilitator at Blacks Business Brokers, said, "Burgess Boys is a profitable business with a superb reputation, a loyal customer base and knowledgeable, professional staff. With scope for expansion both physically and online this is fabulous opportunity for a business-minded animal lover."

All enquiries should be made to Blacks Business Brokers on 0333 370 0000, quoting reference 6047.

- Ends -

Notes to editors

About Blacks Business Brokers

Blacks Business Brokers has successfully sold thousands of businesses since being founded in 2008 by owner and managing director Chris Rowlands. It operates nationwide, selling everything from high street coffee shops and hair salons to manufacturers and engineering companies.

Blacks is headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester and has offices in London and Leeds. It employs in excess of 30 staff who are able to broker deals worth anything from the tens of thousands to several million pounds.

Blacks Business Brokers is a member of the Institution of Commercial and Business Agents and the National Association of Estate Agents.

For further information please contact:

Chris Rowlands
Managing director
0161 763 5000
ckr@blacksbrokers.com

Stuart Anderson
Alpha Public Relations
0161 791 0811
sanderson@alphapr.co.uk

www.blacksbrokers.com
@BlacksBrokers