Lochar Inn, Heathhall
Dumfries, DG1 1TZ
Your investment
£9,000
Agreement Type
Long Term Agreement (5 Year Tenancy)
- Superb busy roadside location
- Zero business rates*
- Strong, loyal customer base
Beer Garden
Car Park
Function Room
Kitchen
Live Music
Sports Teams
Admiral Taverns are seeking to appoint a dynamic and experienced licensee who is multi-skilled, well-funded, and ready to maximise the trading opportunities that will follow a significant planned investment in this site. The ideal licensee will be community-focused, becoming the face of the business and at the heart of local life. They will have a genuine passion for traditional pub activities, enjoying classic games such as darts and pool, as well as sharing in the excitement of horse racing and live sport, both of which remain key focal points of the Lochar Inn’s current offer. A strong background in food is also essential, as there is considerable potential to expand and develop a quality food proposition that will attract both locals and visitors. With its excellent location and the upcoming major housing development nearby, the Lochar Inn is perfectly positioned to establish itself as a thriving community hub while also appealing to destination diners. This represents a fantastic opportunity for a motivated and hands-on licensee to take the business forward and make it truly their own.
The Lochar Inn is located in a predominant road side position on the A701, the main route from Dumfries through Heathall. This road has direct links to the A74 leading North to Glasgow and Edinburgh, South to Carlisle and West to Stranraer. Located in the market town of Dumfries, near the mouth of the River Nith this former royal burgh since 1186 is steeped in history due to its many associations with Robert Burns who lived there in the 1790’s. and is nicknamed Queen of the South, known for the the name of the towns professional football club.
Pub Layout
This roadside pub is located on a busy main road. The main bar runs along the back of the room for the majority of this single storey building. With its dark wood features, high stool seating area and traditional brass features this is the focal point of the room, bring both the games area and lounge area together. This galley style bar area is a mixture of fixed and loose seating with a pool table and darts board to the right of the bar incorporating the traditional pub games. TV’s adorn the walls promoting live sport too. The lounge area is comfortable but requires some modernisation. The fixed booth areas, alongside the mixture of fixed and loose seating area makes this the perfect dining area with scope to improve the food offer. The small decked terrace area provides some outside seating alongside onsite car parking facilities making this the perfect destination site.
The Lochar Inn is a thriving and well-established pub, renowned for its strong wet-led trade that is perfectly complemented by a growing food offer. Live sport and entertainment play a central role in the pub’s appeal, with regular live music performances, quiz nights, and karaoke evenings creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere that attracts a diverse range of customers. With a favourable sales mix and limited local competition for quality pub dining, there is a significant opportunity to further enhance the food offer through thoughtful menu development and investment. Situated in a prominent roadside location, the Lochar Inn also benefits from excellent visibility and substantial passing trade, making it the ideal destination for both locals and visitors alike. This combination of a vibrant entertainment schedule, strong drinks trade, and potential for food growth positions the Lochar Inn as a standout community pub with real potential for future success.
Private Accommodation
There is no private accommodation with this site.
Annual Rent: £22,000
Security Deposit: £5,000 or the equivalent of three months’ rent, whichever is greater
Working Capital: £2,000
Stock: £2,000
Business Rates: £Nil. Based on the April 2023 rating list, the Zero 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.
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.
Admiral Taverns are considering a significant investment in this site upon completion of the current five-year agreement. The proposed works will deliver a comprehensive transformation both externally and internally, enhancing the overall appeal and customer experience. Externally, the investment will include a full redecoration of the building, complemented by new signage and upgraded lighting to improve visibility and kerb appeal. Structural works will also be undertaken where required to ensure the building remains in excellent condition. Internally, the site will undergo a full redecoration featuring distinctive wall coverings, new flooring, upgraded lighting, and refreshed soft furnishings to create a welcoming and contemporary atmosphere. A new pool table and a dedicated feature darts lane will further enhance the entertainment offer. The toilets will be fully refurbished, with the ladies receiving new toilets and the gents benefitting from new urinals. Both areas will be fitted with modern vanity units, new flooring, and stylish wall coverings, providing a high-quality finish throughout.
The refurbishment is subject to full Board approval. All designs are draft and indicative only, intended to showcase the potential of the pub. The refurbishment will be refined and personalised once a long-term licensee is secured, incorporating their vision for the look and feel of the business.
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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