Brown & Blacks, Scone
Scone, PH2 6QU
Agreement Type:
Long Term Agreement (5 Year Tenancy)
Community Local
Your investment:
£29,000
- Strong established community local
- Fantastic outdoor garden area
- Scope to build on the current
Beer Garden
Car Park
Children Play Area
Kitchen
Food Preparation Area
Live Music
Open Fire
Admiral Taverns is seeking an experienced hospitality licensee, either an individual or a couple, to take on Brown & Blacks, a well-established food-led pub and restaurant in the heart of Scone. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and commercially driven licensee to build on the venue’s excellent reputation, loyal customer base, and strong trading performance. The successful applicant will have a proven track record in delivering outstanding food, drink and customer experiences, together with experience of managing a quality food operation. They will be confident in leading and developing a team, controlling costs, driving profitability and maintaining consistently high operational standards. A genuine commitment to serving fresh, high-quality food, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce wherever possible will be essential in preserving Brown & Blacks’ reputation as a popular dining destination. While food will remain at the core of the business, there is considerable scope to further develop the wet trade. The incoming licensee will recognise the opportunity to enhance the drinks offer, increase bar sales and create additional reasons for customers to visit outside of dining occasions. By introducing premium drinks, hosting events and strengthening community engagement, they can broaden the pub’s appeal and maximise its trading potential. Success at Brown & Blacks will come from striking the right balance between a high-quality dining experience and a vibrant, welcoming pub atmosphere that attracts both loyal local customers and visitors to the area. With its prominent location, strong trading foundations and excellent standing within the community, Brown & Blacks represents an outstanding opportunity for an experienced hospitality professional to grow both food and drink sales and take an already successful business to the next level.
Brown & Blacks occupies a prominent position in the heart of the historic village of Scone, just a few minutes east of Perth city centre. Situated on one of the village’s main thoroughfares, the property is within easy walking distance of local amenities, established residential areas, and the world-renowned Scone Palace, making it well placed to attract both local custom and visiting tourists. Scone is one of Perthshire’s most desirable and historic villages, famed as the ancient crowning place of Scottish kings and home to the iconic Stone of Destiny and the magnificent Scone Palace. Today, the village combines its rich heritage with a thriving community, offering a range of independent businesses, cafés, local shops, and excellent amenities, all set against the backdrop of the beautiful Perthshire countryside. The village enjoys excellent transport connections, with easy access to the A94 and A9, regular bus services to Perth, and onward rail links to destinations throughout Scotland. This accessibility, together with the area’s year-round tourist appeal and strong local population, provides Brown & Blacks with a broad and diverse customer base. Benefiting from its central village location, outstanding visibility, and close proximity to one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions, Brown & Blacks is ideally positioned to capitalise on both regular local trade and the significant volume of visitors drawn to Scone throughout the year.
Pub Layout
Upon entering through the front entrance, guests are welcomed into the main bar, an inviting space centred around an impressive L-shaped bar offering a wide selection of premium drinks. High stools line the bar, creating a traditional pub atmosphere and an ideal setting for casual drinking. The bar has been tastefully appointed with a blend of exposed brickwork, painted panelled walls and wooden flooring, combining traditional character with contemporary comfort. A variety of seating options, including fixed bench seating, low-level tables and chairs, and poser tables, caters to a range of customer preferences. Televisions throughout the bar broadcast live sport and racing, contributing to the vibrant and sociable ambience. A striking floor-to-ceiling exposed brick column provides a distinctive focal point, complemented by a wooden drinking ledge and high stools, creating an informal space for guests to enjoy a drink. An attractive exposed brick fireplace with an open fire forms a further focal feature, with comfortable seating arranged around it to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. A short corridor leads through to the restaurant, with the customer toilets, jukebox and gaming machine conveniently located along the way. The restaurant is a spacious T-shaped room, attractively presented with feature wallpaper, carpeting and soft furnishings, providing a comfortable dining environment. A combination of fixed bench seating and loose tables and chairs offers flexibility for both everyday dining and larger social gatherings. A small bar positioned in one corner allows the space to operate independently, making it ideal for private functions and events. The restaurant is supported by a fully equipped commercial catering kitchen and comfortably accommodates approximately 40–50 covers. Externally, the property offers attractive trading areas to both the front and rear. To the front is a small paved terrace with bench seating, while the rear features a spacious, partially covered beer garden with a choice of covered and open-air seating. A dedicated children’s play area with a climbing frame enhances the property’s appeal to families. The rear garden also provides direct access to the customer car park, which offers space for approximately 20 vehicles.
Brown & Blacks is a well-established and highly regarded community pub in the heart of Scone, offering a warm, welcoming atmosphere where locals and visitors alike come together to enjoy quality food, an excellent drinks selection, live sport, and a vibrant social scene. Renowned for its strong food offering, Brown & Blacks serves freshly prepared dishes made using locally sourced produce wherever possible. This commitment to quality has helped establish the pub as a popular dining destination for both residents and visitors, making it an ideal opportunity for an licensee with a genuine passion for hospitality and delivering outstanding customer experiences. The business enjoys a loyal and diverse customer base, underpinned by its excellent reputation within the local community and its prominent position in one of Perthshire’s most desirable villages. A carefully curated range of drinks, live televised sport, and regular social events generate consistent trade throughout the week and contribute to the pub’s lively and inclusive atmosphere. With its strong food-led identity, friendly environment, and established community presence, Brown & Blacks is much more than a traditional village pub; it is a valued local hub with significant potential for future growth and continued success under enthusiastic new ownership.
There is no private accommodation at this site.
Weekly Rent: £923.08
Estimated Annual Turnover*: £932,140
Security Deposit: £12,000
Working Capital: £10,000
Stock: £7,000
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.
Weekly 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.
Estimated Annual Turnover*: The forecasted annual turnover is the assessed Fair Maintainable Turnover by a Reasonably Efficient Operator and is shown as net of VAT and excludes machine income.
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.
