dougie V

hi, hopefully someone can help, basically i have been looking at some locales (empty comercial units) with the intention of converting into a bar. i have found an ideal location and have come across a locale which is not mega expensive to lease. Now before i go any further i am getting some qoutes to see how much for the decoration and this is where i need some help. Basically the area is about 50 sq meter, all the walls require rendering, 2 tiolets, floor, bar, ceiling, lights and air con installed. Has anyone gone down this route, and if so please could you give me an idea of the costs involved. i had 1 qoute of 140,000 euros, which i thought was rediculous, and that was off of a spanish building contractor

CorAnglais

You'll be lucky to make money as a Brit running a bar in Spain, even if you could walk straight into it. The rent will soar, and the booze suppliers will rip you off. :scared:

dougie V

is your reply based on previous experience? if so please could you tell me more. If i do go down this route, i have 1 advantage and that is that my spanish partner will be running the bar and i will only have a small input, so hopefully that will help, and i must admit, we will not have your typical british establishment, and hopefully aim at a theme that will attract locals as well as tourists and expats.

ScotinSpain

Hi dougie,

140K does seem a bit high (very high!). I have two friends who have opened bars in the San Pedro area recently. Blanca is from Morocco and spent 400,000 Euros BUT SHE BOUGHT THE BAR + CELLAR OUTRIGHT as a recent build and FITTED IT OUT FROM SCRATCH, and Guillermo from Argentina who spent about 15,000 Euro for a rewire, some internal wall rearranging, kitchen redesign, new bar tops and a complete redecoration. A lot of his work was self help with a few friends. His bar is a little bigger than yours and he rents for 1000 Euros per month.

Both have found the opening period hard work with low initial returns, but trade is picking up, particularly over Easter when foreign AND Spanish tourists arrived. They both do bar snacks/tapas but not a full restaurant, and find that food is as important as drink to get the customers in.

Having a Spanish partner is an enormous help, as is avoiding the classic Brit style bar. You will need a trading licence, although the Police here accept proof that you have APPLIED for it before it arrives. Also a food handling licence which you MUST HAVE before operating with food, and they DO check these.

Where are you opening the bar? I wish you all the very best with your new venture,

John M