White Lion, Wrexham

The White Lion is in the village of Hope, Flintshire approximately three miles from the English /Welsh border, on the course of the River Alyn and only five miles to the bustling town of Wrexham. The White Lion is the only pub in the village and proves extremely popular in the community with many houses surrounding the pub. One of the major features in the area is Hope Mountain Park which is an exciting and innovative heritage compromising of 120 acres of outstanding natural beauty offering wonderful walks, plenty of activities, and lots of history. The pub is accessible via the A483 road, which connects it to nearby towns such as Wrexham and Chester. The A483 also provides connections to larger roads like the A55, facilitating travel to destinations further afield.

Pub Layout

On entering the pub, you are welcomed into the impressive main bar with the bar servery facing you. This area hosts the darts oche and televised screens to show live sports along with the gaming machine. There is an additional room that has been used in the past for small gatherings such as funerals and can easily be turned into a small dining area. To the left of the bar is a pool room that has recently been subject to some improvement works and to the right is the lounge with seating for up to thirty people. There is access from the lounge to the ladies toilets. Externally, there is a spacious car park that can easily hold up to twenty cars and could easily be adapted to accommodate family fun days. There is benching to the front of the pub along with an enclosed children’s play area with equipment.

The pub sits at the heart of the community offering a range of activities appealing to a large audience, from the friendly feel to the range of superb drinks on offer. The pub is known within the community for being the place to go to enjoy a drink with friends and family. The pub has a strong programme in place with two pool teams and two darts teams who use the pub on a regular basis participating in local leagues, weekly quiz nights, live entertainment and live sports. There is an opportunity with the right licensee in place to introduce a food offer however works to the kitchen would need to be carried out in order to do this.

Private Accommodation

The private accommodation is located on the first floor and consists of two double bedrooms, lounge, kitchen / office and bathroom.

Annual Rent: £18,750

Security Deposit: £5,000

Working Capital: £2,000

Stock: £2,000

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.

Training: £325 plus VAT

For a breakdown on financial information, please refer to the ‘Additional Info’ tab.

The White Lion is extremely popular with locals and has built up an excellent reputation over the last 18 years with a previous licensee. I am looking for an individual or couple who are local to the area and will engage with the community. The successful applicant will need to demonstrate how they will develop this already popular pub and take it to the next level with a well thought out business plan and enthusiasm and charisma to follow it through. Ideally, the pub should provide food once the kitchen is compliant as this is the only pub in the village and would appeal to a wider audience. Experience of running a community pub is desirable but not necessary, what is necessary is the desire and drive to run a friendly and successful community focused pub.

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 – This sum of money will be held on your account and will be returned to you on exiting of the pub based on your final account balance and the condition of the property.  Our standard deposit is 25% of the headline rent.  On occasion, we can negotiate a lower security deposit with the aim to build up to our full deposit on a long term agreement.

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 – Before signing a long term agreement, you will be required to attend our 7 Steps to Sales Success training programme.  Held online over three days, you will learn marketing and business strategies that will help you to grow sales in your pub – step-by-step.

Service Charge Cost – £60.89 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 April 2023 rating list, the Nil Rates Payable is based on small business rates relief being applied and the licensee only occupying one property for commercial purposes.  Please note, this only applies to pubs marked with an Asterix *