Bars Cafes Restaurants and Businesses for Sale in Spain on the Costa del Sol

• Handover Period
• Running a Business

When you are buying an existing Business, it is a very good idea to include a Handover Period as part of the Conditions in the Deposit Contract. This will give you the opportunity to see the Seller at work, learn how the Business is currently run. In addition, you can start running the Business yourself while the Seller is still at hand to help you out when needed.

The length and importance of a Handover period is very much dependent on the type of Business you are buying and on your own relevant experience. For example if you are buying a printing shop and you have never done this type of work before, you will learn what is involved in this type of Business, how to work the machines, where to get supplies from etc. In this case Costa Bars Spain would recommend a Handover/Training period of several weeks. If you are buying a Bar and you have done this before in Spain, there is probably very little handover period required if any.

Your Gestor will take care of Accounts and Taxation issues making it much easier for you! Your Gestor will also explain exactly what you need to provide him/her with and how Accounts are being handled (Rent Retention, IVA etc).

Costa Bars Spain can organize a free meeting with a Gestor when you come here to view Businesses with us. The Gestor can give you an overview of Accountancy, Taxation, Social Security, etc and can answer any questions you might have in these areas.

When you start running your Business, your Gestor will make sure that the following items are transferred into your name (or your Company’s name):

• All utilities for your Business (Water, Electricity and Telephone)
• The License for your Business

When you use a Gestor to handle the Purchase of your new Business, it is a good idea to ask what is included in the Gestor’s fee. E.g., it might include some months free Accounting and all taxes associated with the transfer of the Business License (not just the fee for the Gestor). Gestor’s fees vary but once you work out exactly what is included and what not, there is not much difference.

Your Gestor will have checked before completion whether all Utility Bills have been paid by the Seller and will retain any money from the Seller if the Billing period and your Completion Date are overlapping. Once the Bills come in, the accounts will be settled and the retention of the money will be resolved.

Water is safe to drink but a lot of people prefer to drink bottled water. Water is paid every quarter and is much cheaper than in the UK which is rather weird because Andalusia is an extremely dry part of the world especially compared to the UK.

In Spain, the Electricity Company bills every 2 months and Electricity is about 25% cheaper than in the UK. Spain has 220V and the plugs are different from the UK plugs. You will need to use adaptors if you want to use UK appliances here.

Gas in the Costa del Sol is available in gas bottles. They are delivered to your door and cost about 13€ per bottle.

Costa Bars Spain will help you organize a Bank Account with a Bank of your choice. There is a selection of Banks available where they speak English. You can open a Bank Account before you get an NIE number and you can put money in the Account, but you cannot withdraw any money until you have an NIE number (sounds like a regular Bank in the UK no?)

You probably get a list of Suppliers from the Seller but it might be you are thinking of changing Suppliers. Costa Bars Spain can give you a list of Suppliers who will be happy to discuss their offers with you.

There are several companies here which can advise you in detail on marketing and branding of your Business. There are several good deals on offer (complete packages) which they can discuss with you. The Costa Bars Spain Team can advise on a high level on marketing and branding (different advertising media to use, websites, flyers etc) or can refer you to one of the Companies who are specialized in this.