The owner of Bristol Cider Shop, which has been at the forefront of the craft cider revolution since 2010, is seeking a business partner with the skills and experience to take it to the next level.
Since opening the celebrated shop on Christmas Steps – and relocating it in 2016 to the new CARGO development at Wapping Wharf – Pete Snowman, pictured, has become one of the leading authorities on craft cider in the UK. 
It has twice been voted Independent Cider Retailer of the Year (2015/2018) and was named by Rough Guides as one of the reasons “why Bristol is the coolest city in Britain”.
Now Pete wants to bring someone on board to take full operational control of the business and develop it in the long term. Although this is likely to be on a profit-share basis, Pete would also consider selling it.
The £150,000-plus turnover business was founded in 2010 and has three main elements – a retail shop, online shop and cider tastings. Pete believes with fresh management and a more commercially-focused approach, the business could be much more profitable.
The retail shop has a prime harbourside location in one of CARGO’s converted shipping container in Wapping Wharf, Bristol’s independent food and drink quarter, with a large terrace fronting Gaol Ferry Steps. There is excellent potential to turn it into a cider café/tasting room.
The online shop is an established and trusted website and is one of the best-known sites on cider in the UK. While it needs some updating, it is highly ranked with organic links from websites including The Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, BBC, Condé Nast, Jamie Oliver Magazine etc.
The shop’s cider tastings are very popular and well attended. The weekly Introduction to Cider nights sell out every week and private/corporate events are held by arrangement. The tasting business is successful and unique and could easily be developed into a more significant part of the business.
The shop has enjoyed excellent reviews – it is rated 4.7/5 on Google, 4.7/5 on Facebook and 5/5 on TripAdvisor (Certificate of Excellence in both 2017 & 2018). It also has an Amazon store and is rated 4.6/5 on Amazon. It has 5,100 Twitter followers, 2,700 Facebook likes and 2,300 Instagram followers.
Pete said: “Bristol Cider Shop has an authentic story to tell and the credibility with which to tell it. What it needs is a partner with the commercial skills to turn it into a profitable business.”
Pete is open to ideas about how best this might be achieved and is inviting interested parties to get in touch via pete@bristolcidershop.co.uk or 0117 929 3203.
