Member Article

West Yorkshire attraction Ponderosa on sale for £1.3 million (geckos included)

West Yorkshire animal visitor attraction, Ponderosa, has been brought to market by the Leeds offices of CBRE and Michael Steel & Co who are seeking offers of around £1.3m for the business which attracts over 190,000 visitors each year.

Established some 20 years ago by owner Howard Cook MBE, Ponderosa has grown into one of the region’s best loved attractions.

The 7 acre site midway between Heckmondwike and Mirfield is home to various animal buildings and enclosures, a 150 seat restaurant and wedding/event venue with outside terrace, an additional 50 seat restaurant with bar, outdoor children’s play area, café and ice cream parlour and landscaped grounds with wildlife areas.

The business, which has a zoo license, will be sold with all the site buildings and animals which include mammals, birds and reptiles such as; Llamas, reindeer, meerkats, otter, macaw, owls, spiders, iguanas, gecko’s and snakes.

In 2013 the business had a turnover of £1.15 million.

Howard Cook said: “The family business has always primarily been in the provision of care for people with learning difficulties and the decision to sell Ponderosa is solely to enable me to dedicate my time to our growing day care centre at the top farm and regional community projects.

“Ponderosa has been expanded and invested in over the years and there is still immense potential for a new owner to continue to drive the business forward in many new directions.

“The operational business is unaffected by the sale. The attraction has such a huge and dedicated customer following and we are confident that it will further flourish under new ownership.”

Sam Frankland, Director of Specialist Markets at CBRE Leeds, said: “Ponderosa presents a unique opportunity for a keen investor to purchase a ready-made, profitable attraction with unlimited opportunities to add value.

“The event business and zoo operation could be expanded and the picturesque site could readily accommodate new business lines such as camping or day nursery offerings.”

Alec Michael, Partner at Michael Steel & Co, continued: “It isn’t often that an exciting site such as this comes to market and we anticipate keen interest from a host of parties who will inevitably recognise the significant potential for business growth.

“Ponderosa is well known within the region and further afield and its strong reputation could be built upon by a new owner.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .