Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to market George Mewes Cheese, two high turnover artisan cheese shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
George Mewes Cheese was first established in 2010 when former chef, George opened his Glasgow store, followed by a store in Edinburgh in 2015. Since then George has built an award-winning business which sources the finest cheeses from Britain and Europe, working closely with Hervé Mons, a top affineur based in France, and British affineur Neal’s Yard Dairy of London.
As well as the thriving retail business, George Mewes Cheese has built a reputation as a leading wholesaler, supplying cheeses to prestigious Scottish hotels and restaurants.
These profitable stores are ideally positioned in affluent areas of both cities. George Mewes Edinburgh is located on Dean Park Street, in the vibrant area of Stockbridge while George Mewes Glasgow is situated on the cosmopolitan and eclectic Byres Road in the West End.
Having successfully navigated the Covid pandemic, and now generating consistently high sales in-store and online, George believes the time is right to pass over the reins to a new owner who can build on the current success.
Liam Bain, Business Agent at Christie & Co’s Scottish Retail team, is handling the sales process comments, “I am excited to assist George with selling the business he has worked tirelessly to build over the last 13 years.
“With two fantastic sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, I’m sure this will pique the interest of business owners and entrepreneurs across both retail and hospitality sectors and beyond.”
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Kildonan Lodge Hotel in Edinburgh. For nearly 30 years, the hotel has been run by Maggie Urquhart, who is now set to retire.
Located in the affluent suburb of Newington, Kildonan Lodge enjoys a large private plot which is within easy reach of Edinburgh city centre. The business is set in a large Victorian villa, which boasts grand period feature and comprises 15 letting rooms in a range of styles, from traditional with four-poster beds, to modern boutique.
Previous owner, Maggie Urquhart said: “I would like to thank all our guests, many who have stayed multiple times. It has been a pleasure to meet you all and I wish you all the very best for the future.
“To my staff, who became like family, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and dedication in helping make Kildonan Lodge such a warm welcoming place to stay.”
Gary Witham, Director – Hotels at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “Small high-quality hotels rarely become available so close to the City – there is certainly good demand from buyers who benefit from the international appeal of the Edinburgh market. Post covid trade has been stronger than ever.”
Kildonan Lodge Hotel was sold with a guide price of £2,000,000.
Established over 45 years ago, Mathewson Dental Ltd comprises two high-quality Edinburgh dental practices which offer both NHS and private treatments; St John’s Road Dental Practice in the affluent area of Corstorphine, and East Craigs Dental Practice just one mile away. The group boasts a total of nine fully equipped surgeries and circa 28,500 NHS registered patients and is the largest NHS general dental practice group in Edinburgh.
The business has been owned by Hew and Lorna Mathewson since 1977, at which point it comprised just one practice and circa 2,400 patients. Since then, with their daughter, the team has worked tirelessly to grow the group’s reputation and patient base into the successful business it is today.
They recently decided to sell in order to retire from ownership and appointed the services of Christie & Co to search for a buyer that would continue to uphold the level of care that they had nurtured over the years for both staff and patients alike, as well as one that understood the Scottish dental system and could take the business to the next level. Following a confidential sales process, the group has been sold to Scottish Dental Care which owns another 15 practices across Scotland.
Hew Mathewson CBE comments, “From the outset, my family and I were extremely impressed by Christie & Co to act on our behalf in the sale of our two large dental practices.
“They came up with an excellent and, as it turned out, extremely effective marketing strategy on our behalf. During the sale process itself, once a preferred buyer had been found, Joel was a highly effective negotiator, liaising with ourselves, the buyer, and our lawyers.
“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the sale process and are so pleased we chose Christie & Co to act as our broker as they secured us an excellent deal on terms that suited us.”
Speaking on behalf of Scottish Dental Care, Managing Director, Christopher Friel, comments: “Acquiring these practices represents a continuation of our growth plans, with the extension of our Advanced Dentistry brand into Edinburgh.
“We are proud to take forward the legacy developed by Dr Mathewson over the years, and we look forward to working with the fantastic practice teams as we progress on that journey.”
Joel Mannix, Associate Director – Dental at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “It was a pleasure to sell this practice for Hew and his family who have worked so hard to create the outstanding business we know today. A completely confidential, targeted sales approach led to several high-quality offers which were all in excess of the asking price.
All parties were incredibly organised which really helped create a smooth deal and led us to present Hew and his team with a list of pre-approved prospective buyers to choose from. Following the closing date, they chose Scottish Dental Care to carry on the practice’s legacy which has allowed the group to fill the missing link in its geography of practices.
“This was a landmark deal for the Scottish market. It represents the huge demand we’re seeing for well-established practices in Scotland, and highlights that competition is key to achieving extremely good post-sale conditions.”
Mathewson Dental Practice Ltd was sold for an undisclosed price.
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of the former Melville House Nursery in Edinburgh.
Melville House Nursery was previously registered for up to 105 children aged from baby to school age. The now-vacant nursery, which occupies the ground floor of the property, was recently refitted and refurbished to a high standard and is located in an affluent area of Edinburgh, which is within walking distance of Morningside, Merchiston, Polwarth and Bruntsfield.
Previously owned and operated by Ms Meg MacLeod of Childcare Scotland Properties, the site was extended and fully refurbished before being brought to market. The property generated a high level of interest and attracted a number of operators throughout the Edinburgh and surrounding region.
Following a confidential sales process, the former nursery has been sold to large growing operator, Mini Rainbows Limited.
Ms MacLeod comments: “We purchased Melville House in 2003 and opened it in 2004. After 33 years, it was time for me to semi-retire, relax a bit, and spend more time with family.
“Both myself and fellow Director, Yvonne McDowall, wish Mini Rainbows every success in their new venture!”
Speaking on behalf of Mini Rainbows Limited, Director of Nurseries, Andrew Clifford, said: “We are delighted to complete our purchase of such a wonderful period property at Melville House, and wish Meg and Yvonne all the very best for the future.
“We are looking forward to bringing our inspirational environments and unique ethos to Melville House, which is due to re-open in late 2022.”
Rosie Adlem, Director, and Martin Daw, Senior Director, at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, work with childcare operators across the Scottish region as part of the Childcare & Education team.
Rosie comments: “We were delighted to act on behalf of Ms MacLeod in relation to the marketing and sale of this property.
“Being located in such a prime area of Edinburgh, we had no hesitation that the opportunity would be highly sought after and, despite running a confidential process, a number of parties expressed interest quickly and an agreed deal subsequently followed.
“We now look forward to seeing the nursery re-open in the near future with Mini Rainbows at the helm and seeing new families welcomed into the setting.”
Established in 2014, Pilrig Children’s Nursery provides care for up 69 children aged six months to five years. It is ideally located in the heart of Edinburgh City Centre and, over the years, has established an exceptional local reputation for providing high-quality childcare.
Owned and operated by Jen and Eamon Hegarty since 2014, the nursery boasts a strong overall performance and impressive occupancy levels post-pandemic which have since exceeded that of late 2019/early 2020 as the setting continues to go from strength to strength. Jen and Eamon have now taken the decision to retire from the sector and allow a new owner the opportunity to take the nursery to the next level.
Following a confidential sales process, the setting has been sold to ICP Education, the biggest new entrant to the Scottish market.
Speaking on behalf of ICP Education, Mergers and Acquisitions Director, Kirsty Ibbott, comments, “We are thrilled to be welcoming Pilrig Children’s Nursery to ICP Education.
“Jen and Eamon have built a wonderful nursery and a high calibre team over the last eight years. Their commitment to delivering excellent childcare was immediately obvious as soon as we walked through the doors. We are pleased to have added such a well-established nursery to our Scottish region.”
The sale was handled by Director, Rosie Adlem, and Senior Director, Martin Daw, from Christie & Co who work with childcare operators across the Scottish region.
Rosie Adlem comments, “The nursery market across Scotland is particularly active at the moment, and we are delighted to have assisted another client with their retirement plans and to introduce an excellent childcare provider who will continue to nurture the business.
“With demand currently so high, we are finding that quality nursery businesses are receiving exceptional levels of interest within a very short timeframe despite a highly confidential process.”
Pilrig Children’s Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Edinburgh dental practice, McCutcheon & Ballantyne.
McCutcheon & Ballantyne is a majority-private income dental practice with three fully equipped surgeries and over 2,600 active patients. The business occupies the ground floor of an impressive three-storey traditional Georgian property situated in the heart of the affluent residential area of Comely Bank, just a few minutes’ walk from the popular areas of Stockbridge and Inverleith, and one mile north of Edinburgh city centre.
The site has been operating as a dental practice since 1929, with only four owners in this time. In 2002, sitting Associate, Mark McCutcheon, and David Ballantyne took over the practice from Cooper & Hall.
By the end of 2004, the pair had almost entirely refurbished, modernised, and computerised the practice and, in 2007, a third Partner, Ann McCutcheon, joined the business with the remaining parts of the practice successfully converted to a private provision for fee paying adults.
The Partners, Mark McCutcheon, David Ballantyne and Ann McCutcheon, decided to take a step back from ownership after 20 years at the helm. The practice was brought to market on a confidential basis and attracted a substantial amount of interest, with over 40 enquires received within the first 48 hours of the launch.
A competitive closing date followed, with the Partners deciding to accept an offer from Davinder Singh Kalsi and Jonathan Wardell, who they felt shared a compelling strategic vision which aligned to the existing ethos and their commitment to the highest quality of patient care.
Speaking on behalf of the exiting Partners, David Ballantyne comments, “After nearly 40 years in practice, the time was right to move on from dentistry.
“We have ultimately found an excellent match with Davinder and Jonathan, and I feel confident they will take the practice on to new heights with their skillset and vision for the future.”
Dr Davinder Singh Kalsi comments, “Jonathan and I had studied and lived together for four years while in Aberdeen and had long discussed purchasing a practice together.
“We had been looking for the right practice to purchase in Edinburgh for quite some time and had a very specific criteria list, so we knew right away from the brochure that this was the right practice.
“With Mark, Ann and David going out, myself, Jonathan and Jonathan’s wife Stephanie taking over, it was a perfect fit. It is a practice with a great ethos and patient base, luxury-sized surgeries, and the ability for us to add the treatments that weren’t currently being offered, such as Orthodontic treatment and Implants, allowing us to expand the patient base with a view to adding two surgeries later.”
Paul Graham, Head of Dental at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “It was a pleasure to act on behalf of David, Mark, and Ann in the sale of their practice.
“The process was incredibly competitive with significant interest and multiple offers received. Not only is this a testament to the quality of the practice but also shows the strength of demand that the Scottish dental market currently has. I wish the new owners – Davinder, Jonathan and Stephanie – every success for the future.”
McCutcheon & Ballantyne was sold for an undisclosed price.
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co has completed on the sale of Davidson Mains Dental, a well established practice in Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been sold to a first time buyer, Grant Fraser.Continue reading D Mains dental practice sold to first time buyer
