What would you do with this retail premises for £200 per month?

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insomnimax_99@reddit

Ok, so the rent is £200 a month…

What are the business rates? Because a lot of the time, those are the real killers of small businesses.

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Icy_Perspective_5123@reddit

Rates exemption unless eatable value over about 800 a month

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insomnimax_99@reddit

Ratable value is usually way higher than actual rent, because the rateable value is essentially just a completely made up figure based on a load of hypotheticals.

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Bicolore@reddit

I mean there is a logic to it but yeah it’s literally nothing to do with Rent.

Potentially this is exempt but probably not.

[-]

AnalExplosion69@reddit

" This is an estimate by the Valuation Office Agency of how much it would cost to rent a property for a year on 1 April 2021".

Sounds like it's to do with rent to me.

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AnalExplosion69@reddit

With small business rate relief,and retail hospitality and leisure relief, the business rates will be minimal.

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Substantial-Daikon25@reddit

£200 a month rent in nearly every case will mean no business rates after small business relief.

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The rateable value that business rates are based off is usually way higher than actual rent, because the rateable value is essentially just a completely made up figure based on a load of hypotheticals.

Depending on location, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rateable value was completely over the business rate relief threshold or within the region where it starts to taper off.

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OldGuto@reddit

I bet that £200 a month only lasts until the business is really successful and it gets hiked-up.

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Time-Dinner263@reddit

Keep it looking the same and make it a speakeasy style bar inside. Cash only, password only

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Abortion_Omelette@reddit

200 a month, I'd live there.

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GlasgowBAB@reddit

Your savings on rent would quickly evaporate when you pay business rates for electricity, gas, water, garbage removal. etc. Also does it have a proper wash room?

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V65Pilot@reddit

If it has a toilet, you can probably install a shower pretty easily. The hardest thing about showers is the drain. Getting water in is easy, it's getting it out that's hard. I was recently up north, and the place I went was based in a small industrial estate. He had to have had 2000 square feet of space, so I asked what his rent was......£100 more than what I rent an 18ftx16 foot room in SE london for.... Place was fully plumbed out with a bathroom and small kitchen area as well. Rent it, install a small room at the door, register yourself as an advisory company, never be open. Live in the other 1950 square feet. Bring in a caravan....

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NuclearMaterial@reddit

I am intrigued. I want to know more, so the guy lives in an industrial estate building meant for business? How has he done it all up?

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V65Pilot@reddit

No, he actually works out of it. His neighbor though, apparently, lives and works in his. While not legal, the landlord apparently turns a blind eye as it has all the outward appearances of being a regular business. This is something I've been thinking about doing, being encumbered by family or a partner, and getting up in years, I need more space for storage than I do for living, so why pay separate rents for both? I can do what I do pretty much anywhere people live.

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NuclearMaterial@reddit

Fair play if you can get away with it, why not?

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Present-Technology36@reddit

Lol back in the early 2000s my mother was working in a unit making sandwiches. Well it turns out her boss was living up stairs, he was renting the place and just decided to move in. At some point the management at the industrial estate it was on found out and they chucked him out.

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Busy-Atmosphere1085@reddit

If its below 12k a year, its below rateable value. So no business rates.

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Betterthanthouu@reddit

Shower wise you could just grab a membership to a nearby gym, a lot of gyms are quite cheap. Even using bottled water for everything wouldn't be that expensive, and you could easily fill up a 2 litre bottle each time you go to the gym to shower too. I don't know about electricity and heating.

Given you're already skirting the rules by living in a retail unit, if you're not creating huge amounts of rubbish, you could easily toss a carrier bag full of rubbish in a public bin when you go out.

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AlligatorInMyRectum@reddit

It's zoned for retail, so you're going to have to be creative.

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Centre_Left@reddit

Zoned!! It’s not fucking zoned unless you live in America. FFS. It is class E. in the uk we don’t have zones. Thank fuck.

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quellflynn@reddit

don't people get irritated when you describe things as classes?

[-]

asmiggs@reddit

You might think that British planning regulation is a bit rubbish but if you are actually discussing planning restrictions no one should be irritated by use of the terms in the actual regulations.

https://www.planninggeek.co.uk/use-class/

Using zones in the context of British planning regulation is just incorrect and misleading, and doing so is irritating.

[-]

quellflynn@reddit

I'm talking about using the word class!

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SnoopDeLaRoup@reddit

Where I'm from, 99% of the time, the word class means "good or something really great".

[-]

quellflynn@reddit

probably down to your class then.

[-]

SnoopDeLaRoup@reddit

How dare you! I'm sure you mean my social economic group

[-]

quellflynn@reddit

🤣

[-]

asmiggs@reddit

But that word is in the regulation if you don't use it and use some other word to mean class, you are being annoying.

[-]

geoffs3310@reddit

Well fair enough maybe zone isn't the right words but the sentiment is true, there's no way the council will let you live here

[-]

R3D1TJ4CK@reddit

Glad someone said it haha

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God_Lover77@reddit

Sell miscellaneous merch and have a random display bed at the back "for dispalying bedding".

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AlligatorInMyRectum@reddit

Nice. Of course it will need a staff room, which will be 4/5 the size of the shop too.

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God_Lover77@reddit

Where we keep the storage, as well as a bathroom and shower for the cutomers as well.

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quellflynn@reddit

sell caravan interiors.

just use it!

[-]

Thaiaaron@reddit

A whole bunch of usage are now designated E. Its not the old system where its takeaways, offices, pubs, nightclubs cinema etc. And all offices get auto-confirmed permission to turn into residential. So you may be able to live here.

[-]

Thegreatwhite135@reddit

This! You called call it a day in the life museum where people pay to watch you live your life.

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Ferrisuk@reddit

Twitch stream IRL

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moderatefairgood@reddit

The OG was a long time ago.

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kayzgguod@reddit

LMAO genius

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TheWeirdDude-247@reddit

I'll bet £6 it gets turned into a Turkish Barbershop

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jawide626@reddit

Or a phone repair/case shop

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gag-reflexes@reddit

Or a vape shop.

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_fml__@reddit

Or an American sweet shop

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ip2368@reddit

Or a car wash

... are there any more money laundering businesses?

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gag-reflexes@reddit

Dodgy polish food stores and nailbars.

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4ever_lost@reddit

Tbf them 2 are combined a lot anyway

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stefanstraussjlb@reddit

Project Zeus: what if you combine three of them?!?

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TheHawthorne@reddit

Won’t the Turkish barbers kick up a shitstorm?

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stefanstraussjlb@reddit

This is a free fire idea zone. You think the guys who invented google sat around watching trumpton?

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Goldman250@reddit

I’d set up a games cafe. Wargaming, DnD, board games … whatever works. And the staff room would have a bedroom in the back, so I can live there too. £200 a month is such a steal.

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alice_op@reddit

Our friends actually quit their jobs (2019) to start a board game cafe, and it was fantastic. They brought in their chef friend from their time in hospitality, did posh toasties for £5 and nice coffees/milkshakes for £3.

It was dead during the daytime and heaving on weekends, they were working all hours for not enough profit. They had to close just a month before Covid hit.

I suspect the astronomical rent was a good part of the reason though. £200 a month is a steal.

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DasyatisDasyatis@reddit

Didn't happen to be Cherry Moon did it?

While I appreciate it's probably a recurring thing, the timing fits.

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Surethanks0@reddit

Did it have any playstations

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alice_op@reddit

It might have, I recall a GameCube and a Wii but never played on there myself, I was there for DnD and tabletop games

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NuclearMaterial@reddit

Fucking tragic. Yet phone and vape shops, Turkish barbers, salons and big brand stores are ubiquitous. More little businesses like this would be great if they weren't extorted like you said

[-]

GuideAware@reddit

Proud lion not far from there and warhammer store again 5mins away

[-]

BenTheMotionist@reddit

So uh, when you opening? I have dice to be rolled...

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Plane_Initiative2544@reddit

Pet shop!

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Less_Day_6882@reddit

live in it lol

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-Blue_Bull-@reddit

Small business retail is basically over due to the energy companies being able to charge what ever they like.

Your rent will be £200, your business rates nothing but the lecky will be 2 grand a month.

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mrmykeonthemic@reddit

Sleep

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Boring-Rip-7709@reddit

Is that cheltenham?

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WebGuyUK@reddit

it is, it's the closed House of Fraser aka Cavendish House, which is now lots of small independent businesses which can rent space monthly.

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Boring-Rip-7709@reddit

I remember the food hall. H of f had some great ones if you could afford it.

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scotty3785@reddit

Until Canada Life finds a longer term agreement with someone and kicks all the small businesses out.

[-]

shade_of_dragon_poop@reddit

That was the ladies shoe dept

[-]

papercut2008uk@reddit

It's cheap for a reason, the area probably has zero traffic so any buisness is going to struggle in the location.

If there is lack of parking it's going to further limit what will be successful there.

Rent will go up too, £200 sounds like a starter rent, a lot of premesis do this to get who ever moves in there a headstart for a few months.

Something you can display but deliver to customers would be ideal.

Sectioning it out to turn it into a small market with multiple people selling in small booths might also work.

But in the end, location, parking and access is probably going to hold back anything done there.

[-]

PerformerOk450@reddit

Surely your town needs a coffee shop, I own my own only has about 700

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No_Sugar8791@reddit

There are already 7 in that road alone so probably not.

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Surethanks0@reddit

What road is that

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No_Sugar8791@reddit

Regent Street.

Art Cafe, Cake Alchemist, Find, Woodkraft, Coffee Dispensary, Guilt Trip & Society. Admittedly Guilt Trip and Society are up to 5 metres away from the road and Woodkraft is mostly a restaurant but many people use it for coffee. Costa could be charitably added too as their side entrance is Regent St.

It's probably possible to get coffee in Copa, Whittle Taps and the Old Courthouse if they're all full.

[-]

alrighttreacle11@reddit

How much are the business rates

[-]

WebGuyUK@reddit

There are none (for the renter )as the building has been turned into a popup shop "emporium", which has 4 floors of space to rent out for as little as a month, starting from £50 a week.

[-]

Surethanks0@reddit

What building is that and how is it so cheap

[-]

WebGuyUK@reddit

Cavendish house in Cheltenham, it used to be House of Fraser, when they moved out the landlords have let it out as popup shops instead of being empty.

For the landlords, any money coming in is better than nothing, and by being used it might get noticed by larger companies willing to rent a full floor, there won't be many companies who could make use of such a big store themselves

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LockAdministrative19@reddit

why is it so cheap though-

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GuideAware@reddit

It's in cheltenham. Just add to the rest of the empty store fronts. Cavendish house is now a horrible in door market. Your surrounded by atleast 6 food places and bars within 25metres. Plenty of book stores and coffee shops. Unless you are gonna open a bookies I can't see anything working there

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WebGuyUK@reddit

there is a lot of variety in there, it did start out really shit with a few mobile phone repair "shops" but most of these have moved out, it now has independent clothes shops, toy shop, reclaimed furniture, artists etc. I was touring it today with the manager and they have lots of interest for "units" being taken, currently only using 3 floors but they think they could have the other 2 floors filled by the end of the year.

[-]

GuideAware@reddit

I know the variety was in there Friday afternoon but it just feels like a in door car boot sale i know it's good for some traders but the shop had so much prestige before. Sadly cheltenham is just a town full of takeaways bookies and coffee shops now

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howunoriginal2019@reddit

Is this Cheltenham ?

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WebGuyUK@reddit

Indeed, it's cavendish house which was House of Fraser, it's now a popup shop with quite a few independent stalls.

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BarNorth1829@reddit

Sell dildos and shoot porn

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MysticalMaryJane@reddit

Rent it out to pop up shops for more until you think of something more long term. Don't make a cafe ffs lol

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WebGuyUK@reddit

This is what has happened, the whole building is popup shops, 4 floors of space, it's still quite new and empty but it's slowly being filled with lots of different types of shops.

[-]

diagonalfart@reddit

Vr room rental with movable obstacles.Mixed reality is good but in homes its too small. Rooms which can have movable obstacles so rooms can be mapped differently.

Look up espire 2 stealth operative. The game maps the room out and you create your own levels with the environment.

[-]

GrapheneFTW@reddit

This. I'm surprised I had to scroll down so muchto find this comment. VR Games and computers, you can make big bucks with that. Imagine having 20 "VR racing sims" or other vr games, and when the shop is closed you could mine crypto lol.

[-]

Last-Experience9805@reddit

put 50 migrants in it and charge the government 10 billion a week. seems like the status quo these days.

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Glittering-Exam-8511@reddit

American Sweet Shop.

[-]

nikhkin@reddit

Don't you first need to start an illicit business to provide the money you're laundering?

[-]

Glittering-Exam-8511@reddit

It's a chicken/egg situation

[-]

Scotster123@reddit

Have you ever been to Amsterdam?

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CloisterTheStoopid@reddit

Remember those ‘Weigh and Save’ shops? Chuck one of those in there. Undercut supermarkets for the essentials like pasta, oats, flour, sugar, nuts, cereals, couscous, dried beans and so on and so on.

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Busy-Atmosphere1085@reddit

Remembering them is all we can do because they all go bust because its a stupid idea.

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4ever_lost@reddit

Trouble is you won’t be able to. If you got those items the price they paid you could, but you won’t

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Neat-Possibility6504@reddit

One of the guys on my old work team use to own and run a corner shop. He said it was often cheaper to buy stock in Tesco than the price he could get at wholesaleers. Use to spend his life counting the pennies so he could afford to exist.

[-]

CloisterTheStoopid@reddit

Yeah, we used to have a bloke do this when I worked in a supermarket. Would order extra stock in at his request.

[-]

Impossible-Ad4765@reddit

Steal them from the super market duh

[-]

jawide626@reddit

Undercut supermarkets for the essentials

Much easier said than done...

[-]

TheClnl@reddit

Recreate the Penis Museum that's in Reykjavik

[-]

Zal_17@reddit

You may face stiff opposition

[-]

PikeyMikey24@reddit

Londons got the vagina museum

[-]

Zal_17@reddit

Their customer cervix is excellent

[-]

Havoksixteen@reddit

The phallus palace

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happyanathema@reddit

Phallace you could say

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Fool0fShit@reddit

Brb I think I found my dream home sign.

[-]

verone3784@reddit

I live down the road from this, it's amazing. I went when it first open, and got an awesome shirt that has their logo on it, and says "It's all about dicks".

[-]

pileshpilon@reddit

Mods please ban, no Icelanders answering AskUK questions thanks

[-]

AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

Don't be a dick to each other, or other subreddits, places, or people.

Don't be a dick to each other, or other subreddits, places, or people. AskUK contains a variety of ages, experiences, and backgrounds - consider not everyone is operating on the same level or background as you. Listen to others before you respond, and be courteous when doing so.

[-]

verone3784@reddit

Apart from the fact I'm British, and have property both in Iceland and the UK?

[-]

SP4x@reddit

Is there a picture of pileshpilon in said museam because they're kinda being a Rule 1.

[-]

stinkypugs@reddit

Went there a few years ago out of curiosity, came out with a shirt that says “this museum is not for pussies”

[-]

FirstSeaLordFord@reddit

Unmanned gaming hall where introverts can hire it out for a few hours for £20 so they can get the playing miniatures in private experience even if they don't have the space at home.

Run the occasional tournament in person to generate hype and awareness

Add in a few vending machines, and you got good passive income

[-]

Bigshout99@reddit

Stick a load of Vending machines inside with a variety of products. Not just soft drinks or sweets

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Mechant247@reddit

And nothing else?

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tommygunner91@reddit

Works in Japan. Only problem being likely to have local kids hoofing the fuck out of them and stealing everything.

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Mechant247@reddit

Yeah that was sort of my concern, I’d imagine it’d last about 3 days before kids smashed them to pieces

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GoodTato@reddit

Easy fix, armed guards

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EarballsOfMemeland@reddit

You can pay them in Crunchies and the promise of getting to beat up teenagers

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caractacusbritannica@reddit

Yep. And you’d be absolutely right to do so. They is lowkey the future of retail. Big weekly shop then vending top up.

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Tessiia@reddit

Vending machines filled with mini vending machines. The shop would be called 'Vendception!'

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VelvetWattle@reddit

VENDING LAND!

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Fantastic-Support524@reddit

You could have a room in the back with a couple of sleeping bags, and offer weekend stays, then call it ‘The Vending Land Resort’.

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homelaberator@reddit

Make it Viking themed and call it The Vendingland Saga.

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rosencrantz2016@reddit

Rent it out for £1000 per month

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Pen_dragons_pizza@reddit

Single slice pizza shop.

Baffles me that nowhere exists in this country where you can quickly enter and get a single slice of pizza.

Massive in New York and I always thought in the right location it would be hugely popular and popular since pizza is so cheap to make.

[-]

boo23boo@reddit

A cat cafe. You have a legitimate need to sleep onsite for the welfare of the cats. And you also have cats.

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AE_Phoenix@reddit

Sick ass dnd room.

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Delicious-Cut-7911@reddit

vending machines for sandwiches, foods, drinks.....everybody is in a rush these days and wants instant service

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CoolExtreme7@reddit

I would basically move in.

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johnny5247@reddit

With those double yellow lines and a narrow footpath nobody will be able to park and the footfall past the shop will be weak. You need a business for a few customers a day like a car dealership, or an antique furniture shop. Better set up on eBay and wrap parcels all day to stave off the boredom.

[-]

LemmysCodPiece@reddit

An old school vape shop. Not like the crappy 3 disposables for a tenner shops you get now. A proper one where the goal will always be cessation.

In my nearest City centre, I live in the countryside, all of the vape shops bar one have gone over to be disposable stockists. One independant remains, that stocks proper juices and vapes, it is always rammed.

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Extra-Fig-7425@reddit

Old school arcade.

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MrPloppyHead@reddit

200 a month is a great deal.

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742963@reddit

I'd sub let it for £1k

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AbradolfLincler77@reddit

You're what's wrong with the world, looking for free money for no work.

[-]

742963@reddit

Okay bud 👍🏻

[-]

AbradolfLincler77@reddit

It's freeloaders like you and many landlords making it impossible for people to afford rent. Looking for 800 quid for fucking doing nothing. 🤦‍♂️

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742963@reddit

Okay bud, if you want to work for your money, you crack on enjoy your life 👍🏻

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AbradolfLincler77@reddit

Dickhead

[-]

742963@reddit

𓂺

[-]

Richard-c-b@reddit

Launderette (if there isn't one close by) the one near us is about he same size and has 6 washing machines and 8 dryers. It's hardly ever attended but it's always got someone using it

[-]

Connect_Boss6316@reddit

Remember that the rent is cheap for a reason. £200/month is only £2,400/year, BUT as a leaseholder, you will have to pay business rates, which will be mulpiles of this amount.

[-]

denjin@reddit

A unit so small it's 200 a month is likely to have 100% business rate relief.

The killer will be power and water.

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hhfugrr3@reddit

£200 a month for that in the middle of Cheltenham seems like a bargain to me! I was expecting it to be in some dead town where everyone worked for the same employer that went bust and now nobody ever visits the town centre! Ten years ago, I remember seeing shops about that size in hackney, London going for £50k a year, so about £4,100 a month!

[-]

Philluminati@reddit

Skatepark + Cafe

Soft play + cafe

Bookshop + cafe

Sports bar with fucking massive TV screens

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CrankyArtichoke@reddit

I’ve always wanted a bisque shop (paint your own pottery). I’m an artist generally so I’d have half the shop dedicated to paint your own pottery and the other half as a craft shop for local small makers to support the community.

In the evening after general store hours are done I’d host craft workshops for anything you can think of like; Knitting, crochet, weekly book club, throwing clay, glass work, silver smithing. I have the skills and would love to share my knowledge with fun likeminded people.

Make a living doing what I love

[-]

beerlottie@reddit

Make up and beauty products aimed at gen z with disposal income. You'd make ££££££

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CuckAdminsDkSuckers@reddit

Cannabis cafe, would make millions.

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Radioactive-Lemon@reddit

Doughnut shop

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onepoundfish93@reddit

Rent it out to a marketing/SEO business.

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Max_Abbott_1979@reddit

Bacon sandwiches, toasties and coffees. I can start sending good bread immediately.

[-]

AverageMuggle99@reddit

Pic n mix land

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sprucay@reddit

I'd set up a library of things

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Max_Abbott_1979@reddit

Where is it?

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whoops53@reddit

I would turn it into an "art gallery", displaying all manner of decorative home comforts. Even the bathroom (looks fake but is functional), would be highly decorated. There would be a kitchen fitted out with arty appliances (said not to work but actually do). I would have WiFi installed for "visual experiences" (aka music and movies)

Then I would put up a sign saying "Opening soon" then change it to "Closed for Renovations" rinse and repeat, just to see off the council busybodies. (assuming they still exist)

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CongealedBeanKingdom@reddit

For £200 a month? Live in it.

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davemcl37@reddit

Having seen the penis museum comments below a quick bit of research, purely for societal balance and consideration of business opportunities reveals that Britain already has a vagina museum, something I was not previously aware of. Perhaps you could open a penis and vagina museum and introduce a surge charging machismo much like oasis tickets.

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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Sublet a little part of it to a barber, some to a vape shop and some to a mobile phone repairs.

And then stick a coffee machine and another vending machine whose profits are yours.

[-]

OccidentalTouriste@reddit

Probably lose money like previous tenants.

[-]

Accomplished-Salt797@reddit

Pub

[-]

GuybrushFunkwood@reddit

Stick a couple of barely covered fat girls in the window and recreate a cheap Amsterdam brothel called ‘£ for pounds’

[-]

nunsreversereverse@reddit

Not a popular suggestion it seems 😅

[-]

Accomplished-Salt797@reddit

🤣

[-]

Accomplished-Salt797@reddit

Get that bent pole fixed.

[-]

soulshock22@reddit

I'd turn it into a cafe and call it Chav Cafe

[-]

gag-reflexes@reddit

Courtesy stench of lynx Africa when you walk in.

[-]

Dowew@reddit

If your goal is to live here as others have suggested, perhaps you could start a sex club with a bed, a shower, a kitchen, a living room, and an office. I would suggest you make your trading hours one hour a month (or whatever the contractual or legal minimum is) and put those hours at very inconvenient times for orgying like 1:15-2:15 pm. Is this creative enough ?

[-]

Wonderful_Formal_804@reddit

There's a national shortage of betting and vape shops. Lots of money to be made.

[-]

RedCashmereSquirrel@reddit

Fuck it, I'm just going to type the first thing that popped in my head - 2 in 1 brothel and funeral directors.

[-]

Claiduck@reddit

Is that a staircase going down on the left hand side of the second photo? Just how big is this space? It looks absolutely huge.

Serious suggestion: create a rare and unusual boardgame and jigsaw shop. Specialise in having stock of everything available for next day postage. There is plenty of retail space available and the capital you need to lay down on the stock is mitigated by the low rental.

[-]

evenstevens280@reddit

It was an old Victorian department store. It is enormous

[-]

Scarboroughwarning@reddit

I'm amazed it isn't already a Barber shop, vape shop, or sweet takeaway....

Obviously something wrong with it

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