Three Bury businesses have changed hands during the Covid-19 lockdown in deals arranged by Blacks Business Brokers, which has its headquarters in the town centre. The former Go Wild day nursery, the outdoor education business Communitree and the Expressos sandwich bar and café all found new owners while strict social distancing measures were in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Blacks Business Brokers is based in St Mary’s Place, near Bury Central Library and the Fusiliers Museum. It employs more than 30 people.
The firm’s managing director, Chris Rowlands, said, “It obviously hasn’t been business as usual over the last few months, and at the height of lockdown we faced logistical challenges around conducting viewings and arranging surveys of properties. However, these are now easing and there are plenty of buyers out there who see 2020 as a good time make a long-term investment.
“I am really pleased that, despite the challenges we have all faced, we have been able to arrange transactions that enabled our clients to move on to the next stages of their lives and allowed new owners to start making their own mark on the business scene here in Bury. We are also expecting several other business sales to complete over the weeks ahead – the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in our town, and the pandemic hasn’t changed that.”
The new owners of the three businesses recently sold by Blacks all intend to run broadly similar enterprises to those established by their predecessors.
The Go Wild day nursery, based on the site of the former Crompton Street Post Office, ceased trading in March of this year. The new owner, Wellcome Nurseries, already operates six other childcare settings around Lancashire, Essex and Greater Manchester, and plans to launch a 205-place day nursery at its newly acquired site in Bury.
Communitree is an outdoor education specialist which operates from sites in Summerseat, Ainsworth, Turton and the Smithills Estate in Bolton. It was founded in 2014 and provides a range of activities and courses ranging from primary school trips to Forest School leader training and corporate team building.
The business has been sold by its founder Danny English to the fitness and outdoor education specialist, Leanne Rostron. Ms Rostron is the co-founder of a number of other businesses including Dreamweavers Forest School, based at Bury Grammar School, and Whitefield-based Fitcamp Women and Little Fit.
Expressos sandwich bar and café has been trading on Bolton Street, close to the East Lancashire Railway station, for more than 25 years. Its new owner, Anthony Marsh, plans to continue operating a catering business from the premises.
Blacks Business Brokers, which operates nationwide, has a number of similar businesses currently on its books in Bury and the surrounding area. These include three bars in Ramsbottom town centre, as well as newsagents, restaurants and cafes around the borough.
