The building currently occupied by Sidmouth’s Mocha restaurant has been put up for sale, along with the premises of the neighbouring fish and chip shop, ice cream parlour and Toto’s dog accessories shop.

The upstairs premises of the beauty salon above the Mocha, two holiday apartments and an owner’s flat are also included in the deal, with a price tag of £3million.

The brothers who own the seafront properties, Nigel and Graham Stout, have decided to semi-retire after 35 years, and are selling the premises through Christie & Co.

The brothers said: “We have traded from the premises for a number of years and business has always remained strong.

“We have decided that, at this stage in our lives, we require a fresh challenge and have reluctantly decided to sell.

“The collection is recession-proof and has thrived post-pandemic, supported largely by the prime seafront trading position and multiple income streams, so we look forward to handing over the keys to a new owner who can take the business forward.”

Marc Blackford, Associate Director in Christie & Co’s Hospitality team is handling the sale.

He said: “We’re delighted to bring to market Sidmouth Properties on behalf of Nigel and Graham. The staycation boom that we’ve seen as a result of the pandemic is likely to continue over the next few years, so the businesses are ideally placed to benefit from this trend. This is a fantastic opportunity to acquire an extremely profitable investment with high yields and ‘easy to lease’ units, in a highly desirable seaside town.”