Inn Hospitality Group acquires Seahouses’ Olde Ship Inn

The Inn Hospitality Group has acquired the lease to operate Seahouses’ harbourside pub, The Olde Ship Inn in Northumberland.

The nautical-themed pub-hotel sits above the village’s bustling harbour, 500 yards from Seahouses North Beach.

The “historic” property was initially part of a farm and first licensed in 1812, with the Glen family at the helm as proud custodians of the inn since 1910. Over the years, the family has invested “significantly” into maintaining the pub and 12 guest rooms, and also creating a newly developed beer garden.

David Cash, director in Christie and Co’s Hospitality team, who secured the new tenant, said: “Given the quality of the business and the sought-after location, we were able to run an incredibly discreet and succinct marketing process which involved utilising our extensive network to approach only trusted and proceedable parties.

“This resulted in multiple, credible and acceptable offers being submitted within two weeks of going to market and our clients were able to carefully select whom they wanted to sell their business and grant a new lease to.”

Previous operator and now landlord, Alan Glen, added: “It is with a heavy heart that we hand over the keys to The Olde Ship, but the timing is absolutely right for us. The Ship has been in our family since 1910, with our daughter Judith and her husband David involved in running the business for the past 20 years.

“Needless to say, the decision to sell the business and lease out the premises was not one we took lightly! However, we’re looking forward to moving on to the next chapter in our lives, knowing the property is in the hands of very capable and trustworthy tenants.”

Ollie Bennett and Matt Daniel of the Inn Hospitality Group said: “Businesses like The Olde Ship very rarely come to market, so when David approached us we jumped at the chance! We are absolutely thrilled to have been successful in what was a very competitive bidding process. Alan, David and Judith have put their trust in us as tenants to look after their property and we are 100% committed to doing so.

“The Ship sits perfectly within the Inn Hospitality Group portfolio, taking us from one to four venues in our first 18 months of operation. The venue fits with our ethos of growing an estate of quality pubs with rooms in strong tourist locations, making it a fantastic venue to have on board as we aim to launch our group brand later this year.”