Mana Sandbar Paremata’s go-to local

The seafront land and buildings leased to Sandbar bar and restaurant on Mana Esplanade, Porirua, are on the market for sale.

Sandbar has operated from the prominent site since 2001 when the existing retail liquor store, built in 1997, was refurbished and redeveloped into a bar and restaurant. Sandbar recently signed a new 10-year lease for the property at 109 man Esplanade.

Fraser Press of Bayleys Wellington said Sandbar had weathered the pandemic disruptions, maintaining a loyal following in the Porirua region and supporting local charities through its entertainment initiatives.

Press said suburban commercial properties like Sandbar, a wellperforming passive investment with a proven and longstanding tenant in place, were attracting strong interest from investors on the back of pandemic disruption.

‘‘Sandbar has been a popular and well-supported hospitality venue for more than two decades, but it is even more relevant today when the escalating cost of fuel means somewhere handy to home has more appeal to local residents than travelling further afield,’’ he said.

‘‘The venue is also proof that you don’t need incidental passing traffic to bolster clientele if you have a fundamentally sound business that gives a resident customer base what they want.’’

The commercially zoned property returns an annual net income of $115,000 plus GST with two-yearly market rent review provisions and has a licence for 18 New Zealand Community Trust gaming machines.

Press said the property was situated on an 865-square-metre site on the northern corner of the Mana commercial strip which offered mix of retail, service, and food and beverage operators, and had prime exposure onto South Beach Rd with views out to Mana Island.

The 272sqm building holds a 2017-assessed 80% new building standard seismic rating.

The timber-panelled interior is divided into a large open-plan restaurant plus main bar area with chapel-style ceilings spanning the northern aspect of the building, with a dedicated gaming room, a full commercial kitchen, a chiller and a small office on the southern side.

A garden bar looking out to the sea is partially canopied by a timber pergola, with a fenced service and storage area and nine customer car parks allocated to the tenancy.

Press said the surrounding area was mixture of commercial and residential developments including specialist retailing, medical service providers, supermarket, and motel accommodation serving Paremata, Plimmerton and Papakowhai.