Sandbar bar and restaurant has operated from the prominent site for 21 years and recently reconfirmed its commitment to the property at 109 Mana Esplanade, signing a new 10-year lease.

While other hospitality operators have come and gone from the Paremata area, Sandbar has endured, maintaining a loyal following among residents and visitors to the broader Porirua catchment while supporting numerous local charities through its entertainment initiatives.

The establishment sits on a generous 865sqm site on the northern corner of the Mana commercial strip which is home to a mix of retail, service, and food and beverage operators, and has prime exposure onto South Beach Road with views out to Mana Island.

Originally built circa-1997 as a retail liquor store, the well-maintained property was refurbished and redeveloped into a bar and restaurant in 2001 and had a further refresh last year.

The 272sqm building holds a 2017-assessed 80 percent new building standard seismic rating.

The timber panelled interior is divided into a large open plan restaurant plus main bar area with chapel-style ceilings spanning the northern aspect of the building, with a dedicated gaming room with 18 machines, male and female toilets, a full commercial kitchen, a chiller and a small office on the southern side.

A garden bar looking out to the sea is partially canopied by a timber pergola, there is a fenced service/storage area and nine customer car parks allocated to the tenancy.

The property is being marketed by Fraser Press and Simon Butler of Bayleys Wellington Commercial, with tenders closing 4pm, Wednesday 20th July.

Representative of a well-performing passive investment given the proven and longstanding tenant in place, Press said suburban commercial offerings like this are attracting strong interest from investors on the back of pandemic disruption.

“Sandbar has been a popular and well-supported hospitality venue for more than two decades, but it’s even more relevant today when the escalating cost of fuel means somewhere handy to home to dine out or have a beer has more appeal to local residents than travelling further afield.

“The pandemic environment has been a leveller for hospitality businesses and those that have weathered the storm have come out stronger.”

“In that regard, Sandbar is a tried-and-true establishment where people know they can reliably have a good time, listen to live music each week, get good value for money and support local charities through events like regular quiz nights.”

“The venue is also proof that you don’t need incidental passing traffic to bolster clientele if you have a fundamentally sound business that gives a largely resident customer base what they want.”

The commercially zoned property returns an annual net income of $115,000 plus GST with inbuilt rental growth via two-yearly market rent review provisions and underpinned by the license to house 18 New Zealand Community Trust gaming machines.

The surrounding area contains a mixture of commercial and residential developments including specialist retailing, medical service providers, supermarket, and motel accommodation primarily serving the day-to-day needs of the surrounding residential suburbs of Paremata, Plimmerton and Papakowhai.

“Should the opportunity arise, the subject site also has excellent development prospects given the coastal position and the high growth demographics of the Porirua area,” said Press.

“It’s around five kilometres north of the Porirua City Centre, and roughly equidistant from the Wellington CBD and the Kāpiti Coast.”

Click here for more information on the listing.