The former Walkabout Pub in Exeter’s Fore Street is to become the venue for the relaunch of The Music Room and the creation of a new Musical education charity for youth in the South West.
The former Walkabout Pub, which has traded as the Exonian in recent years was sold this week to a consortium that will include a charitable trust that aims to promote musical education in the South West and help promote Exeter as a hub of specialist music retailing in the South of England.
The Charitable Trust will amongst other activities own a newly formed business called The Music Depot. The Music Depot, has been freshly capitalized and is a relaunch of the recently closed Music Room that was located for forty years on Sidwell St. The Music Room was highly successful before Covid and was only closed for strategic reasons by its American owners.
The Music Depot has been formed by the ex-management team of the Music Room led by Simon Tremlett and will preserve all their innate skills and knowledge garnered over decades of serving the South West’s huge music community. Commercial and financial sponsorship of the relaunch was provided by Exeter businessman Simon Deane and the Chagford based Hardick Family.
Simon Tremlett on behalf of The Music Depot commented:
“We are hugely excited by the relaunch and the new venue. The area feels vibrant and edgy which inspires musicians. This exciting space will become a creative hub with a commercial bent strongly supported by Yamaha and other major brands. We hope to work with the other music retailers in the Fore Street area to build a destination if you like, a ‘Music Quarter’, that could draw customers from a really wide catchment area. Outside of Central London music is no longer well served by modern retail and we hope to help address this.”
Acting on behalf of the former owners the commercial agents Vickery Holman began a marketing campaign earlier this year which culminated in a tender offer process.
Michael Easton who handled the transaction added:
“We ran a process to seek all interest in the building and its continued use, the result of which was the proposal put forward by the consortium. As there was no interest in continuing the previous use, an alternative use was required and the end result will further complement the growing experiential boutique offering that Fore Street provides the City. Our client and Vickery Holman are pleased to have assisted in helping a regenerative and community based business find a home.”
