North East hotel goes into administration

The White Horse Inn on Old Road in Balmedie has called in administrators – but remains open as they try to find a buyer.

Iain Fraser and Tom Maclennan, partners with FRP Advisory have been appointed administrators for the Hotel. It’s a 2.5 mile drive from Trump’s Menie Estate.

A popular spot for locals and tourists, the venue has been serving diners from near and far since 1975.

After a renovation in 2014 and with an annual turnover of £700,000, administrators are hopeful that there will be buyers interested in the local hotspot saving the jobs of 26 staff on the books.

Iain Fraser, said: “Clearly it is a worrying and stressful time for the staff, but as things stands trading is continuing at the moment and our next step is to find a buyer for the business.”

“Our key priority in the first few days was to stabilise the trading position and that’s now done. The next step over the next couple of weeks will be to put it on the market. We are clearly looking for interested parties.”

“Hospitality sector in the north east and in particular the city of Aberdeen has been very badly affected by the downturn in oil and gas. Not so much from a tourism point of view but more of a business aspect. However, this hotel is a popular local venue and we’re confident there will be buyers.”

“The administration of The White Horse Inn presents an attractive opportunity for an existing licensed trade operator or an entrepreneur to acquire an established hotel with full hospitality facilities in a very desirable location."

“We would encourage interested parties to contact the FRP Advisory Aberdeen office as soon as possible on: 0330 055 5455."