Is £10k too much for a catering pitch central Bristol??

You need to see his accounts/VAT returns to explore the sales and profits he's making from the pitch. That's a basic starting point - if he won't give you the numbers, walk away.

No one can say whether it's worth it or not. No one else knows the footfall, sales, profits, costs, etc. You also need to explore how long the pitch licence is for, how much it will cost to renew it, and more importantly how easy it would be for someone else (or you) to get their own licence/pitch in a similar location.

Some councils make people tender for pitches/sites etc where the highest bidder "wins" the licence for the next year/3 years/5 years or whatever term it's for, so if someone else bids higher than you, they'd get it and you'd be walking away with nothing.

Don't forget that you need "proof" of anything the seller tells you - never take their word for anything. Get the numbers checked over by an accountant, get the terms of the pitch/licence/lease etc checked over by a solicitor. You should also talk to the council directly to ask them about the pitch, whether it can even be transferred to you without their approval, when it comes up for renewal, renewal process, etc.

My initial reaction is that £10k is far too much for an average/typical pitch on it's own, but if there's something special, i.e. exclusive area where council won't allow anyone else within say 1/2 mile, or outside the train/bus station, or outside the main shopping centre entrance, then the sales could maybe be high enough to warrant it.

martindow wrote: »

Here is a place to start:


https://www.bristol.gov.uk/licences-permits/street-trading


I'm wondering if his pitch is worth anything. If he leaves, I imagine you or anyone else would be free to apply for a licence for it. I would not imagine the present occupier of this spot has any right to sell it on as if it were owned by him.

I think you will find that a street trading licence is one thing, but a council owned and operated pitch is quite another

You need a street trading licence if you want to sell or offer for sale any article in a street (so I expect the OP will need one of those anyway)

A pitch is a designated site that allows the licence holder to operate their own business exclusively from that particular pitch. i.e. without another trader parking up along side and competing for business. There may be set/minimum hours the licence holder must opertate (as I alluded to previously)

Such pitches are often found on council owned land where ther is a demand for such services, but where the council does not want the land overun by anyone and everyone with a street licence. e.g a park, sea front, etc
There is often a designated, prepared pitch for such (e.g. hardstanding, litter bins, even possibly lights).

They are often hard to come by, and when they do appear, are often sold by sealed bids/tender.

I know nothing about this area except that you can't move in Bristol without falling over somewhere to buy coffee. And I'm not talking cheap coffee (although there's one place where everything is 99p).

We're talking serious coffee. Several local independent suppliers, roasting and grinding their own. Choice of fancy teas to match. 6 different kinds of milk. Homemade cakes. And yes, this is the coffee carts as well as the coffee shops.

And they come, and they go.

I don't know where the OP's friend has his pitch or what his USP is, but I do know there's a lot of competition out there, and not taking over the van seems to me to put him on the back foot too.

You need to see his tax returns to see what profit he is making before anyone can tell you if the pitch is worth 10k or not.


Seeing his books isn't good enough as these can easily be manipulated but you don't cook the tax returns.


People don't usually move from profitable places so do your due diligence before you part with your cash.