Pancake House restaurant plan for city centre newsagents

The owner of the Maynews newsagent chain is selling two of its York branches – and one looks set to be reborn as a pancake restaurant.

Maynews on Jubbergate will soon close after the Birmingham-based retail group Rippleglen couldn’t make it pay at the current rent.

A planning application has been lodged with City of York Council – which also owns the property – to change 7 Jubbergate from a shop into the Double Dutch Pancake House.

This would see the 500 sq ft ground floor turned in to a restaurant with an open kitchen along one wall.

Plans show room for 35 people to be seated in the Pancake House, with three more two-seat tables outside on Silver Street.

The application has been submitted by David and Sheridan Walker from Clifton Park Avenue in York.

Found in the Shambles Market, relaunched this week, it could add another market eating option to the four food kiosks which have already opened.

Flipping changes

The Rippleglen Group put Maynews on Jubbergate up for sale, along with the branch next to Monk Bar on Goodramgate.

The group bought the York-based Maynews chain of 19 shops in 2013.

Rippleglen property director Tony Hargreave said the strategy was to “keep branches where we can invest” while selling those “which would be better run by other people”.

The Jubbergate shop was not bringing enough revenue to justify the “expensive” rent charged by York council of £35,000 this year, rising to £36,000 from Christmas.

Business rates on the property are £15,600 per year.

“It’s not for us,” Tony said. “We’re better doing other things with our time and money.”

He was aware that the shop could be turned into a restaurant.

The Monk Bar Maynews was likely to be retained as a newsagents after the sale, Tony said. The leasehold for this smaller shop is being advertised at £29,950.

According to the agents, the shop has a weekly turnover of £5,500 at a gross profit of 20 per cent.

Rippleglen previously sold another Maynews, further along Goodramgate. This is now run as Supernews And Booze.

Meanwhile the group was investing in other branches. Last month its Supernews Local shop in Bishopthorpe welcomed in the village post office, which had been set to close.

And its Huntington branch of Maynews was also earmarked for investment, Tony said.