Popular Derby venue changes hands

Derby-based BEAN Caffé has been sold to a local manufacturing expert.

The award-winning café, which opened in 2010, is based in Friar Gate Studios and is favoured by professionals working in the surrounding area. Both the premises and the business have been acquired by Derby resident Swain Myers who, prior to this venture, worked in the manufacturing industry for more than two decades.

Myers said: “We are delighted to be the new owners of the much-loved BEAN Caffé. This is our first investment in the industry, but BEAN Caffé has such a loyal customer base that we have no doubt the business will continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years.

“We are planning to evolve – not revolutionise – the business. As it stands at the moment, the café has a formula that works really well and we don’t want to change that.

“We plan to develop the events side of the business, increase our use of social media to engage students in the city and improve the exterior of the café. We recently held our first event – a soul evening – and the week was our busiest week yet, I don’t think that is just a coincidence.

“The acquisition process was completed much quicker than we expected, with all parties working very efficiently together. We want to thank Nelsons and everyone involved in the transaction for their hard work and dedication to get the deal across the line.”

Martin Jinks, partner and solicitor in Nelsons’ commercial property department, led the transaction.

He said: “We are very pleased to see the successful acquisition of the BEAN Caffé business and premises to Swain Myers. The process was completed very quickly and was a textbook example of a good acquisition, taking just two months from initial conversations to the keys changing hands. All parties involved in the process worked together seamlessly and the speed of this deal relied heavily on this collaboration.

“The café has a devoted customer base, not only within the team in Nelsons’ Derby office, but also the wider community and we are all excited to see the business grow and develop under Swain Myers’ leadership.”