From Flatpacks To Flambes

What does it take to run a busy café-bar in Charente-Maritime? Mike Wedge finds out.

- Mike Wedge

Taking on a business, especially in a foreign country, might seem foolhardy to some. The triple whammy of language, bureaucracy and the uncertainty of success are cited as reasons not to take on such a challenge. The reality, however, can be a pleasant surprise, as Jeanne and Ian Bullen found out when they snapped up a café-bar in rural France.

After years in sales – from self-assembly kitchens to packaging – the couple’s damascene moment came one evening when Ian had been browsing the web and saw a French bar/café for sale. “It was completely out of the blue,” said Jeanne. “He showed me when I got home from work that night and I just said ‘yes, we can do this’.”

Ian continues: “We realised that, although we knew a lot of people, we had a limited social life – work always got in the way. So we saw this as a way of combining the two.”

The couple’s first piece of advice is to get a good accountant, as Jeanne explains: “Our accountant did everything for us – he set up the business and organised all the necessary paperwork. Of course, we had to pay him, but it made the whole project very easy.”

Finding the right property is also essential. “We didn’t go for the bar I’d seen online; it was a good business, but was very tourist-oriented,” said Ian. “We wanted to be part of a community, with regular customers. For us, that’s as important as earning a living.”

Salut!

After some weeks of searching, Ian and Jeanne found their ideal place. The Bar les Tilleuls nestles in a shady corner of the village square in Champniers, a rural commune in the Vienne department, but it had been closed for three years. “We’d decided that it was absolutely vital that we buy a going concern,” said Ian. “Ah well, another challenge!”