Hello.

Im new to the forums so i apologise in advance if any of these questions have been asked a thousand times before. I just need a little advice.

My fiancee and I have a pub in stoke on trent but have been thinking for sometime about packing it all in and moving to spain.
Ideally we would like to buy or rent a bar out there but have absolutely no idea how to go about it.

If anyone could shed any light on the subject along with renting a house etc, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

Alex & Sam

Hi Alex and Sam, I hope you have your tin hats on because I think you are going to get a lot of posts telling you how bad things are in Spain, having said that, I'm sure you will probably get some encouraging posts as well.

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Where would you get that idea?
Everything is perfect here. Great economy, low cost of living, easy to get a high paying job, and virtually all British pubs are wildly successful.

By the way, would you be interested in a lovely waterfront villa for just €50k?

Hi Alex n Sam,
I don´t know how you go about it either!
As mfh said, I´m sure you´ll receive a lot of negatives...or sarcasm eh ami
Just to put my cents worth in, I have a few friends that own bars. A couple of them opened up at the beginning of last year.
Both seemed to have an excellent time through the summer but come the end of summer it was tough for both of them ... very tough!
My only advise to you, as with any business is to do your research!!!
Go visit the places you consider options, go to the bars, speak to other business owners, experience for yourselves costs of living etc.
As you know business is always a gamble, so please don´t jump before you´ve looked.
As a matter of interest, what area(s) are you thinking about?
As we´re all in different areas there are people that might live where you´re considering and will be able to give you the low down.

[QUOTE=Bamford38;11160049]Hello.

Im new to the forums so i apologise in advance if any of these questions have been asked a thousand times before. I just need a little advice.

My fiancee and I have a pub in stoke on trent but have been thinking for sometime about packing it all in and moving to spain.
Ideally we would like to buy or rent a bar out there but have absolutely no idea how to go about it.

If anyone could shed any light on the subject along with renting a house etc, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very much.
Just search this and other forums on the subject and you will soon get and idea of what you would be letting yourself in for!
I am amazed that people keep asking this question!

This is a good site for businesses for sale in Spain, I think also Daltons Weekly website list business for sale in Spain too. Good luck!

http://secure.businessesforsale.com/...m=&turnoverTo=

Thank you all for your responses. Even if theyre negative its still helpful to get a clear picture of what we're getting ourselves in for.

I lived abroad in Greece for about 6 years in my early 20s so im aware of how tough things can be in the quieter winter months. Which is why i thought getting our own bar would be the better option. Even if its not at all risk free.

We're not sure which area of Spain we're going to go for yet. In fact we're not 100% sure its going to be Spain we end up in. Its just somewhere we've both always wanted to experience.

Are there any areas in particular anyone can recommend? Valencia looks beautiful but i imagine would be very expensive.

Thanks again for all your help. The website provided by beachgal21 was especially helpful to get an idea of prices etc.

If you want to open a bar then I would have to say Expat area is really where you need to be looking at.

I have even started to look at it myself, but its too long hours for me and I want to enjoy the Sun as that is what I came for, but I would not be as put off doing it as some would say, some bars will crack it & some wont.

Your not going to get people clinging to the railings on there way home from Valencia,

Thanks, ill have a look in the expat area.

We're working very long hours at the moment, so thats not something thats going to bother us.
As long as i dont have to keep looking at grey skies while im doing it!

Spot on Andy.
The Costa´s are full of expats. As with either, there are good and bad parts.
I´m based in La Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol and there are 5-6 bars owned by expats in a very small area.
Stepping out of La Cala and within a few minutes walk, I can think of another 3-4 expat bars.....I´m sure there are more.
The beauty of this particular area are the number of expat residents so business doesn´t totally disappear with the end of summer!
If you move down the coast to say Malaga, then rather than having 5-6 in direct competion with you, you might be looking at 50-60 but with a population to match.
As I say I think you should come out for a cheap holiday and take a look around. At least that way you´ll have a clearer idea of what you want. Busy town, relaxed village, sports bar? small local bar? Serving food?
I wish I could be more helpful but your question at this stage is really very vague.
The only thing I´m sure about, as Andy said, pitch it right and it could/should be great. Pitch it wrong then for sure, in this climate it will be adios!

Well at least you already have experience, but Spain is a different story. Do you really want to make a living with the pub, pay rent, go on holidays etc. or is it just a hobby to have something to do? If it's a British Pub there are enough of them and you won't make much money during winter + can you really live the dream with all the competition (German Beer 1€), All inclusive hotels? If you want to be in a city, you need to set a trend and will pay high prices if it's a good location.

I'd disagree and say you'd have a better chance in a Spanish city, where things don't close down for 6 months each winter... I would agree with Andy though that it involves very long hours. I know a friend who opened up a wine bar, Oliveto, in Lavapies (close to central Madrid) last October and although he's attracted a mixed Spanish and foreigner crowd it comes with a cost - he's working 16 hour days, and staff don't stay for long...

Another option (that carries its own risk) is a speciality cake and cafe-bar. Some discussion on it here

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=822566

Problem is knowing how long products like cupcakes will stay in fashion. Same with the brunch deal - I know several places in my part of Madrid (some American-run, some Spanish) that offer a brunch deal at the weekend for 15-20 euros per head. Even I'm surprised that they get packed each Sunday, but I suspect it will prove eventually to be a passing fad...

But if you're determined, just remember to haggle over the rent wherever you choose. There are plenty of venues on the market, so you should be able to dictate a good rental price.

Expat areas don't close though, Im not in a tourist resort, where I am is full of drunks and not just Brits, I think the Brits are actually acceptable, Its the Scandinavians that need rehab, the there is a bar up the road that is busy pretty much every day and some nights, last night was v.busy for the football.

But its never empty, esp happy hour, which is a necessity it seems to be here to be successful. Its bonkers, this is just one little bar only been open a year, there is plenty that are not busy though, one next door to this place for example, I think people here like down and out bars.

I understand i have been very vague on what we're looking for, so ill give you a little bit of our background.

We're currently running a local pub in stoke which also does food. Weekdays its fairly quiet, regulars mostly. Weekends we run various entertainment and it gets very busy.

Previous to that we were running a couple of nightclubs in Manchester city centre. Very long hours, very busy, very late nights, but we loved it!!
Only left it because we wanted our own place and to try something new.

Previous to that (when i was single) i worked in Greece for 6 years in various places but mostly in a sleepy harbour town called Sivota.
There was a Thomas Cook resort nearby which is where most of the summer trade came from. With locals making up the winter trade although it was obviously much quieter.

In answer to what kind of place we're looking for. Id have to say ideally somewhere relatively busy with other expats. We would like to offer food although its not a deal breaker. We would probably be more suited to nightlife than say a coffee bar or something.

I know thats still fairly vague, but we've really only just started thinking seriously about this. Hopefully it can give a better idea of what we would be suited to.