PROSPECTIVE buyers have until this Friday to submit their bids to snap up some of the former Botanic Inns group pubs being sold in the wake of the hospitality chain's parent company going into administration in April. And selling agents Osborne King say the impending sale of a number of the landmark Belfast pub/restaurants is attracting considerable interest locally and further afield. Osborne King have been instructed to dispose of seven licensed premises in administration. They are McHugh's, the Kitchen Bar, the Apartment, the Parador and Ryan's Bar, all in Belfast, as well as Molly Brown's in Newtownards and Denvir's Hotel in Downpatrick. They were formerly part of a portfolio owned by Kurkova Ltd, which jointly operated a portfolio of 16 pubs, restaurants, off-licences and hotels principally within the greater Belfast area prior to going into administration. The portfolio has a combined guide price of £4.675 million, although the agents expect the properties will likely sell as individual or combined entities rather than as a single acquisition. Interested parties have only until Friday 13 to submit offers by informal tender, reflecting the high degree of confidence shared by both administrators and agents that operators eager to gain a foothold in the local market or to increase existing market share will try to snap up these properties. Mark Carron of Osborne King said: "We've been inundated with enquiries about these properties, which is understandable given their profile, location, and indeed iconic stature particularly in relation to two of our historical gems, the Kitchen and McHugh's, the latter which offers a rare opportunity to acquire one of Belfast's oldest pubs dating back to 1711. "At the other end of the spectrum, the Apartment is firmly established as one of the city's most stylish watering holes and will attract buyers precisely for this reason." "Although local interest has been extremely keen, we've been approached by a significant number of operators from the Republic of Ireland and Britain. The majority of the premises on offer are of a high finish and specification albeit a couple of the properties require modernisation and refurbishment, and this is reflected in the guide prices, which range from £375,000 to £1.3m. The portfolio will be sold by informal tender with offers requested in writing. Prospective purchasers will be able to inspect title documents prior to this date by contacting the seller's solicitor.
? FOR SALE: The Parador, left and McHughs Belfast. Denvir's Downpatrick, main pic