A sale has been agreed for one of Bold Street's most eye-catching buildings, with approval in place to renovate the ground floor area and, via a separate proposal, turn the upper floors into serviced apartments.
Until recently, the ground floor premises of 14-16 Bold Street was operated by Haute Dolci, which described itself as a "luxury" restaurant specialising in opulent versions of popular dishes. The Liverpool city centre outlet occupied the former Waterstones premises, a location which remained vacant for several years before Haute Dolci took over the space.
Closure and planning application
In May, the Liverpool ECHO reported that Haute Dolci had "temporarily" closed its doors, notifying customers via a notice left on the entrance doors, stating: "We are temporarily closed. A pause, not a goodbye. An incident within the building has required us to close while specialists complete a full inspection."
More than three months after Liverpool's Haute Dolci closed its doors, its website still says 'temporarily closed', and its last Instagram post was in March. The ECHO previously reached out to Haute Dolci but did not receive a response.
Refurbishment and sale
In June, a planning application was submitted to Liverpool City Council, requesting permission for Yolo Liverpool Bold Street Ltd (YLB) to carry out internal refurbishment works. YLB is effectively owned by Black Sheep Coffee, and LCC approved its planning application last week (August 18), with a refurbishment of the ground floor set to take place. This will be limited to cosmetic improvements of the existing retail unit. Design plans attached to the application show The Black Sheep Coffee logo, which would be emblazoned above the entrance of the shop.
Two days ago (August 25), a company called Loft Property Investments (LPI), which specialises in off-market sales, published a post to its Instagram page confirming a £750,000 sale had been agreed for the property, stating: "SOLD | BOLD STREET, LIVERPOOL. A commercial property sale between an experienced local investor and an experienced local developer. The upper floors already had planning permission for 11 large two and three-bedroom apartments with the proposed layout lending itself well to serviced accommodation. This wasn’t the simplest deal to get over the line. Changes to the lease length and other contractual terms meant the sale took eight months to complete, with plenty of negotiation needed to reach terms and a price that worked for both sides."
Future use and ownership
The ECHO reached out to LPI to confirm the identity of the new owners and ask whether they would like to provide an update on the building's future use. LPI advised the owner would prefer not to comment at this stage.
In 2024, JSM Property Group were granted listed building consent to develop 11 serviced apartments on the upper floors of the former Waterstone's building, separate to the £750,000 deal reported above. JSM confirmed to the ECHO earlier today it still owns the freehold to the building, and retains a 'stake' in the building, along with its 'business partners'.
