Long Acres Kennels & Cattery

Boarding Kennels & Cattery with small pet accommodation located in northeast Scotland. Detached 3-bedroom owners private house included in the sale. License for 20 dogs- 10 cats. Lifestyle business that offers owners house, private land and waterfront views. Established business with genuine scope to increase trading levels. Unique lifestyle opportunity with real potential to expand. 13 acres of land included with sale

Long Acres Kennels and Cattery, Keiss, Wick, KW1 4XG

Located in Keiss, a short drive from the northeast town of Wick, Long Acres Kennels & Cattery, which was purchased by our clients back in October 2017, is a well-presented kennels, cattery & small animal hotel. Operating from single level buildings which are positioned to one side of the owner’s private house, Long Acres Kennels & Cattery sits peacefully within large private grounds and boasts magnificent views towards Keiss Harbor and beach front.

The location of the business as it is just a short drive from the main A99 road north to John O Groats, allows for our clients to tap into the sizable and ever-increasing demand for good quality pet boarding services from areas such as Wick to the south along with the various small villages that are dotted around this part of northeast Scotland.

When our clients took over Long Acres Kennels & Cattery, while the business was trading, income was down at a level that required real investment by the vendors both in their time and financially. On purchasing Long Acres Kennels & Cattery our clients had a clear vision of how the business should operate and what was required to achieve that goal. By making the effort to improve the overall business and with the upgrading of the facilities, and with a more focused approach to the day-to-day trading, business quickly improved with owners traveling from distance to house their pets at Long Acres Kennels & Cattery.

As with most businesses, reputation is key for success, and this is one area that our clients have paid close attention to. By providing good quality accommodation along with loving care and attention to customers pets, the business enjoys excellent reviews from various online outlets. Another benefit to the location of the business is the sizable land that is included in the sale of the business. The paddock which extends to around 13 acres would be suitable for various uses including for horses and stables. In addition, the sale also includes an outbuilding which offers potential to increase the number of kennels subject to the usual conditions.

While trading at the business was increasing, the effects of the covid pandemic meant that income levels were negatively affected as with most businesses during 2020 & 2021. However, as we start to move from lockdowns and to a more normal trading environment, our clients are seeing income levels increasing at a healthy rate. With a degree of pent-up demand for people to travel, good quality pet accommodation is on the rise which is resulting in a good level of future bookings at Long Acres Kennels & Cattery. The business is being offered for sale due to our clients wish to retire after almost 5 years of ownership.

Accessed via a long driveway, the owner’s private accommodation, which is included in the asking price, is a traditional farmhouse sandstone property that is housed on ground level and benefits by being extended to the rear of the original building. The property consists of the following: entrance hallway, lounge, front porch, kitchen, bathroom and 3 bedrooms. Customer car parking and dedicated owners parking is to one side of the private house. The owners house separates the kennels to one side and the cattery to the other opposite side of the property.

Externally there is the pet reception area, heated dog kennels which are housed in a single-story unit situated 200 m from the cattery and separated by the owner’s house. A large garage which has been split into two, houses the small pet accommodation and a garage. In addition, there is a watertight barn that could potentially be utilised as additional set of kennels. This is a project that has started and is something that a new owner may wish to complete.