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Harrods of North put up for sale for £50 million





The House of Bruar
The House of Bruar

A highly successful retailer founded by a Strathspey couple could be sold for £50million following their formal retirement from the business.

Mark and Linda Birkbeck founded the The House of Bruar Limited in 1993 and the company, which has gone on to become an international brand and been dubbed the ‘Harrods of the Highlands’, opened the doors of its shop on the A9 three miles north of Blair Atholl in 1995.

Mr and Mrs Birkbeck, who are in their 60s, are also the majority shareholders of the company, which sells country sports clothes, gifts, homeware, art and food and has a 600 seat restaurant.

The announcement means that the House of Bruar, which has enjoyed consistent growth in turnover and profitability and has re-invested each year a significant proportion of its profit, could now be sold. The firm has announced that it will undertake a strategic review of the business, including the possibility of its sale following Mr and Mrs Birkbeck’s retirement, as they are the majority shareholders.

The strategic review includes the possibility of the sale of the company, provided that, a fair price reflecting the "significance" of The House of Bruar can be agreed with a potential buyer. If it is not, then the shareholders will pursue their other alternatives and retain their ownership of the company.

It is understood the asking price for the business is £50million and it is expected to receive interest from trade and luxury goods companies.

The company’s directors expect to achieve turnover of £24m and pre-tax profits of £4.7m by the end of this financial year.

The store and restaurant covering 73,000 square has parking space for 400 vehicles and planning permission for a further 375. It is one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions, welcoming more than 1 million visitors per annum.

The business is currently run on a day to day basis by the Birkbeck’s son Patrick, the firm’s managing director, and his management team.

The Birkbecks launched the House of Bruar with the profits from the sale of their chain of high street stores, Jumpers.

The House of Bruar design team now work together with a number of British mills to produce their own exclusive cloths in tweeds, plaids and twills in both wool and cashmere.

Over the years, the site has undergone 22 different extensions, most recently last autumn when a new menswear hall opened.


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