The latest Heavenly Desserts franchise to open its doors in the region confirms the ongoing buoyancy of the dessert café market according to the commercial property team at East Midlands law firm Bray & Bray behind the deal.
Commercial property solicitor Sanveer Sandhu, advised the franchise owner on the deal. He secured a ten-year lease for the 2100 sq ft restaurant unit at Cowgate, Peterborough for the Heavenly Desserts store, which opened in September.
Founded in 2008, Heavenly Desserts is a luxury dessert restaurant franchise. The Peterborough restaurant is the 19th store in the UK and the fifth in the East Midlands region, seats 70 people and has created 23 jobs.
The deal is Bray & Bray’s latest for Heavenly Desserts, and hot on the heels of the commercial property team’s negotiation of a lease for the Loughborough store in June 2018.
The firm’s Sanveer Sandhu says Heavenly Desserts’ newest franchise opening confirms the strength of the dessert café market: “The deal goes to show that by offering a new and unique dining experience, Heavenly Desserts is bucking the national trend of a decline in high street activity and continuing to open stores and create jobs.”
Negotiating the lease involved splitting the unit, a former Chinese buffet restaurant that had been empty for almost three years, into two separate units, through extensive refurbishment, as he explains: “The property is situated in an ideal high street location for Heavenly Desserts, but it was clear that a smaller unit would best suit the needs of the restaurant.
“It was a pleasure to assist with the grant of the lease, which means that the store has a place in the city for the next decade.”
Heavenly Desserts Peterborough’s franchise owner, Imran Ali adds: “Peterborough has a growing visitor population and was in need of a community dessert café. Heavenly Desserts is ideal as it offers a luxury experience and artisan dishes.
“Bray & Bray came highly recomended by the owner of the Loughborough franchise, and Sanveer was integral to getting the plans for the restaurant off the ground, negotiating the best deal, a long lease and ensuring the overall proposal fitted our needs.”
