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Bank Street Cafe in Ashford on the market a year after opening

A cafe has gone on the market making it the fourth business occupying the premises to be sold in five years.

The Bank Street Cafe is for sale just a year after opening in Ashford town centre - but owners have insisted they are still open for business in the meantime.

Bank Street Cafe in Ashford is now on the market - the fourth business in five years to be sold there
Bank Street Cafe in Ashford is now on the market - the fourth business in five years to be sold there

Jeevan and Gloriya Coultan took over the unit in Bank Street last May after moving their business from De Bradelei Wharf in Dover.

But now, website RightBiz - which lists businesses for sale - shows the leasehold for the building is on the market for £90,000 as they look for new owners to take on the business.

The online property listing says the reason for the sale is “due to family commitments and health issues”.

When contacted by KentOnline, the owners did not wish to comment about the details of the sale and it has not been confirmed if the current business will remain open in the long-term.

Owners Gloriya and Jeevan Coultan pictured when they took over Bank Street Cafe in Ashford
Owners Gloriya and Jeevan Coultan pictured when they took over Bank Street Cafe in Ashford

In the past five years, the unit has seen three other businesses come and go.

RJ’s American Diner closed in 2020 less than two years after opening in the town centre.

It then became Sky Bar and Restaurant, which closed not long after getting a one-star food hygiene rating in 2021.

Bank Street Cafe was next to move in.

However, the previous owners handed back the keys after nine months, saying the cost-of-living crisis made it impossible to carry on.

After a month of renovations, the Coultans reopened the cafe in May 2023 offering a similar menu to their former business, The Boardwalk Cafe, in De Bradelei Wharf, while also offering a taste of Sri Lankan cuisine.

They made the move to Ashford after the waterfront shopping centre closed in July last year.

The management company blamed a huge rise in energy bills and the need for renovations had made the site unviable.

The leasehold for the business has gone up for sale for £90,000
The leasehold for the business has gone up for sale for £90,000

While the business is on the market, it is not clear if the cafe will close.

The unit’s changing history goes back even further as a barbecue restaurant filled the unit before it became the American diner.

In 2015 it was Cafe Cloud and before that, it was Olympia Leisure.

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