HURST’S village store, which closed five months ago, is being re-marketed with a guide price of £500,000.
Owners, Colin and Julie Paxton, who ran the shop themselves many years ago, have asked Wokingham estate agent Martin & Pole to find a buyer for them.
There was an outpouring of sadness in the village when the shop, on the busy A321 Wokingham to Twyford road, closed.
On Tuesday (May 21) David Auger of the agents said the store had just gone on the market with them.
“We have already had interest from people who would want to reopen the shop,” he said.
“They are pursuing it with us.
“The owner received some inquiries when the shop closed and he passed those inquiries to us to deal with.
“We have been in touch with them.
“They were mainly people wanting to open a village shop.
“With the interest we have had already there is every chance of the shop reopening.”
Mr Auger said the freehold of the premises was being sold, and that a tenant was not being sought. He added: “There are very few freehold shops for sale.
“In the RG10 area there are probably not any others available for five to ten miles around.
“I think everyone would like to think it would be sold to someone who would open a village store.”
The current owners had run the shop very successfully.
An auction date is to be announced, unless the premises are sold beforehand.
From May 20 it has been advertised nationally.
Mr and Mrs Paxton told villagers on social media a sale had been going through for some time but was not moving as fast as they had been led to believe it would.
As a result they were re-marketing the premises.
They added: “We had hoped to get the sale through quickly to benefit the residents of Hurst, but appear to have been let down.”
The premises also includes a Post Office area and a self contained flat with two/three bedrooms.
Mr Auger said It would be up to a new owner to ask the Post Office to re-open there.
The flat’s tenants had moved out some time ago.
Part of the building is thought to date back to the 1600s.
For information, visit: martinpole.co.uk
