Alexandra, Darwen
Alexandra, Darwen, BB3 1NL
Your investment
£11,000
Agreement Type
Long Term Agreement (5 Year Tenancy)
- Strong established community local
- Fantastic large beer garden
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An exciting opportunity to elevate and expand the food offer
3+ Private Bedrooms
Beer Garden
Car Park
Cask Ale
Function Room
Kitchen
Live Music
Open Fire
Sports Teams
The Alexandra is already a highly regarded pub, known as a popular community hub. Building on its strong reputation, Admiral Taverns is looking for a dynamic and experienced licensee to take it to the next level. The ideal candidate will be passionate about enhancing the pub’s offerings, particularly in drinks and food, ensuring an exceptional experience for all customers. A keen eye for detail, a commitment to high service levels, and an effective social media marketing strategy will be key to pushing this pub’s success even further. The licensee will be responsible for maintaining the pub’s welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, putting customers first and fostering a friendly, community-driven space. They will also excel at establishing relationships with local charities and community groups, using the pub as a venue to support and champion local causes. Organising regular events, such as league team games, darts, and pool tournaments, will be vital to keeping the pub buzzing with energy. Additionally, the licensee will establish a strong weekly rhythm of activities, including quizzes, live music, and other entertaining events that will appeal to a wide range of people. A solid understanding of marketing and social media is essential to promote these events and foster a sense of community. By combining a community-first approach with engaging activities and a robust online presence, the licensee will ensure the pub remains a key player in the local social scene, attracting both regulars and newcomers. This is an exciting opportunity to take the reins of a thriving pub, enhance its offerings and contribute to its growth within the local community.
The Alexandra is a traditional community pub nestled in the heart of Darwen, a historic market town in Lancashire, England. Surrounded by residential homes and local shops, the pub is perfectly positioned at the centre of a close knit community. Darwen boasts a rich industrial heritage, once a prominent hub for textile production during the Industrial Revolution. Today, it blends historical charm with modern convenience. The town lies near the scenic West Pennine Moors, with the River Darwen winding through it, eventually feeding into the River Ribble, one of the North West’s longest rivers. A standout local landmark, Darwen Tower, also known as Jubilee Tower sits proudly on the moors, offering sweeping views and commemorating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1897. Well-connected by road and rail, Darwen offers easy access via the A666, linking it to Blackburn and Bolton, and is served by direct trains to Manchester Victoria, Clitheroe, and surrounding towns. This makes The Alexandra not only a beloved local pub but also a welcoming stop for visitors exploring this historic and accessible part of Lancashire.
Pub Layout
The pub offers a unique and versatile layout, centred around a central servery bar that seamlessly serves both the main bar and lounge areas. This design ensures smooth, efficient service throughout the venue. The lounge room provides a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, featuring a comfortable mix of fixed bench seating and low-level chairs, complemented by a blend of carpeted and tiled flooring. Soft furnishings add a homely touch, while a small raised area with an open fire enhances the cosy, inviting feel perfect for dining or unwinding with friends. Entertainment is well-catered for with a pool table, multiple TVs showing live sports, and a dedicated DJ area equipped for live music, karaoke, and quiz nights. The main bar area offers a more vibrant, social setting, with hardwood flooring, high bar stools, and bench seating around the windows. The space is designed for active engagement, featuring dartboards, a second pool table, and live sports screens, making it a lively games room atmosphere. A well-equipped catering kitchen on site supports a food offering for the lounge and snacks for the bar area, adding flexibility to the venue’s appeal. Outdoors, a decked area overlooks an expansive garden, complete with covered huts and a large grassed space, ideal for summer events and community gatherings. Ample parking is available at both the front and rear of the building, offering convenience for guests and reinforcing the pub’s role as a hub for both locals and visitors alike.
The Alexandra is a predominantly wet-led community pub that takes pride in delivering an excellent drinks experience. While the focus is firmly on its diverse and well-curated drinks menu, the pub also offers a midweek food selection and traditional Sunday roasts, creating a balanced and enjoyable visit for guests. With wet sales making up 80% of its trade, The Alexandra clearly resonates with those seeking great value and a welcoming atmosphere. The pub also serves as a versatile venue for private functions and events, with seating for around 100 guests, making it an ideal location for celebrations, family gatherings, and community events. At its heart, The Alexandra is a true community pub. It actively supports local sports teams, hosts darts and pool games, and provides regular live music at weekends, fostering a vibrant and inclusive environment. The current licensees are known for their warm, community-focused approach, which has earned the loyalty of local residents and cemented The Alexandra’s status as a beloved local hub in Darwen.
The private accommodation consists of four bedrooms, living room, kitchen and a bathroom all in good condition.
Annual Rent: £19,500
Security Deposit: £5,000 or the equivalent of three months’ rent, whichever is greater
Working Capital: £3,000
Stock: £3,000
Fixtures and Fittings: To be confirmed upon valuation – funding options may be available for the right licensee.
Tie: All drinks categories are tied. For fully funded licensees on long term agreements, we offer free-of-tie options for certain drinks categories in exchange for an annual fee.
For a breakdown on financial information, please refer to the ‘Additional Info’ tab.
Annual Rent – This is our lowest rent figure associated with a Full Tie. If the tie is reduced the effective rent (via Tie Release Fees) will increase. Rent is billed and paid for weekly in advance depending on the payment terms agreed). On occasion, our Business Development Manager will discuss a start up rent which is discretionary to an individual pub and can be discussed.
Security Deposit – A security deposit is required when applying for a pub with Admiral. This will be the greater of £5,000 or three months’ headline rent. The deposit is held on your account and returned when you leave, subject to your final account balance and the condition of the property. We will also carry out a credit check as part of your application, which may affect the deposit amount required.
Working Capital – This is a recommend amount required which will be used in the day-to-day running of the business.
Stock – This will be valued by an independent valuer on the day you take over the pub. This includes unbranded glassware, unopened bottles, wines, spirits, any unopened / opened kegs and cask ale providing the container is unopened.
Fixtures & Fittings – This includes any item that is bolted to the floor or walls, and a fitting to be any item that is free standing or hung by a nail or hook. This will also include furniture.
Tie: All drinks categories are tied. For fully funded licensees on long term agreements, we offer free-of-tie options for certain drinks categories in exchange for an annual fee.
Training – £350.00 – Before signing a long term agreement, you will be required to attend our 7 Steps to Sales Success training programme. Held online over two days, you will learn marketing and business strategies that will help you to grow sales in your pub – step-by-step.
Service Charge Cost – £65.86 per week – The Admiral Taverns Premium Maintenance Package will help take care of your compliance and statutory obligations with one simple fee, whilst giving you piece of mind about your boiler and cellar cooling repair and replacement. This also includes full access to e-learning for you and your staff.
Zero Business Rates* – Based on the draft rating list for April 2026, the Nil Rates Payable is based on small business rates relief being applied for by the licensee and the licensee only occupying one property for commercial purposes. Please note, this only applies to pubs marked with an Asterix *
We believe we do things differently to other pub companies. To us its quite simple – great pubs are run by great people, so we focus on ensuring we can empower you to run a successful pub business. Every licensee is different, and no two pubs are the same, so we carefully tailor the range of agreements, support and training packages we offer to give you all you need to run your own pub.
The first step is to call our recruitment team and have a chat with us. We’ll probably suggest you attend one of our recruitment events as nothing beats a face to face chat. It’s also a good idea to research the sort of pub you are interested in ahead of time, so you have a clear picture of the competition in the area and what the local community looks for in that pub.
In order to run a pub, you will need a personal license which regulates the sale of alcohol in a pub. This can be achieved through attending a one-day course, ending in a multiple-choice exam. Once you’ve passed the exam, you then need to apply to your local council, for your personal licence. Admiral can easily help you with this by offering a discounted rate. Finally, you will also need to complete PEAT training (Pre Entry Awareness Training), an online course which explains the leased and tenanted pub agreement you are about to take on.
Our default agreement is our 5 Year Tenancy Agreement with a range of support available to you throughout your agreement with Admiral. We also offer induction training, our 7 Steps to Sales Success course is a 2 day online course that will provide you with the knowledge to run a pub and get you off to a great start before you get started. In addition to this, we offer other training workshops on a wide range of topics such as Marketing, Social Media, Cellar Training along with online training including Food Hygiene, Health & Safety and lots of other related courses. There is simply training available for every subject. When you take on a pub with us, your Business Development Manager will discuss your training requirements with you and identify areas where you may benefit from additional support or training.
Rents are based on open market value, Fair Maintainable Trade (FMT) and the future trading potential of the premises. This entails an assessment of the turnover and profitability that a reasonably efficient operator would be expected to achieve, taking into account the optimum trading style for the premises and making reasonable allowances for costs. This will involve estimating the trading potential rather than just adopting the actual level of trade under the existing ownership. This method of valuation is known as “the Profits Method”.
We want to empower our licensees to get on with the day to day running of the pub, as well as giving you the knowledge that you can count on us for as much (or as little) support as you need. Our team are truly passionate about community pubs and we want to do as much as we can to help you run sustainable and profitable businesses. Our support includes but isn’t limited to the following: Commercial & Marketing Support, Food Team, Licensing, Property Help Desk, Investments, Machines and Training.
Our BDMs work hard to build strong working relationships with their licensees. Your BDM is there to help you develop your pub and can support you in many different ways. From guidance around products and pricing, planning events, marketing your pub and development and training, our BDMs are empowered to make quick decisions which will help you move forward with your business.
We are continually investing in our pubs. From transformational refurbishments to small improvements where it really counts, we run an active investment programme and are committed to improving our estate of pubs. We also are fully invested in working alongside our licensees during the investment process to bring their ideas to fruition.
Admiral operates under the tenanted and leased model whereby we as the pub company own the pub and agree to rent the premises to you via a lease or tenancy agreement. Most tenancies/leases include a negotiated supply agreement covering the purchase of all drinks categories and possibly a range of other goods and services (hence the phrase ‘tied’ pubs). The level of rent you agree to pay at your pub will be dependent upon the extent of your purchasing obligations. Our rent offers are based on a Full Tie, and hence reflects the lowest rent payable. For licensees on long term agreements, we offer free-of-tie options for certain drinks categories in exchange for an annual fee. The prices you pay for drinks purchased from Admiral are likely to be different to those on the open market. When you take on the pub your BDM will discuss rent and the tie with you.
To enter into any tenancy agreement with Admiral, you will normally have to consider the following costs:
Personal Licence fee – This is the fee for obtaining your Personal Licence which you will require if you intend to be the Designated Premises Supervisor named on the premises licence.
Fixtures and Fittings (e.g. furniture, kitchen equipment, light
fittings, carpets etc) – These are usually valued on the day you enter the property. Whilst we prefer you to purchase the fixtures and fittings outright, there are occasions where we can provide alternative methods of purchase or may consider a rental agreement. Your BDM will discuss these options with you.
Deposit – The size of the deposit (or security bond) varies depending on the property and the commercial terms agreed but is normally the greater of a quarter’s rent or £5,000 and will be held for the duration of your agreement. In exceptional circumstances, we may allow you to pay a lower deposit and build this up over a time period.
Stock and glassware – These are purchased when you take over your pub, at an agreed valuation, from either the outgoing tenant or Admiral.
Working capital – The amount of working capital required (cash available) varies by pub, as each individual business requires different levels of funding. Your BDM will discuss this with you.
Pre Entry Awareness Training (PEAT) – This is mandatory training designed to raise awareness on the matters involved in operating a pub, from agreements, repairs and purchasing obligations. The cost of this course is £100 plus VAT.
Yes absolutely. We are always keen to encourage successful licensees to develop. Our BDMs work together with our licensees to achieve this and identify new opportunities. We also run training workshops to help you to gain the right skills, so you can take the step from running just one business to expanding with a second pub.
Admiral Taverns accept payment by Direct Debit or Open Banking (Pay by Link) only. Our Business Development Managers will discuss which method is most appropriate for you during the application process.
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