CYPRUSNET

Articles and Advice » Cyprus Property Types » Cyprus Commercial Properties

Other Commercial Properties

Apart from the Commercial property types described above, there are several properties that are designed and constructed especially to facilitate particular types of business. For example one can not purchase a showroom and use it as a restaurant, at least not before spending a respectable amount in renovation to transform the place.
Below are described the special characteristics of properties that are designed especially to meet the needs of the particular business field.

Restaurants

If you consider starting a business running your own restaurant, there is some food for thought before taking a leap towards bringing your dreams to reality. To start with, one has to determine the budget one is willing to spend in order to set up the business. 
However, before dealing with figures and numbers to decide how much it costs to open a restaurant, you first ought to have a very clear idea of what type of restaurant you would like to open and where you want your restaurant to be. Even though, the location of your restaurant will be partially determined by where you are already located, nowadays it is easier to run a business from distance and travel from time to time. The price of your location will be a greatly determining factor on the cost. In general, a city center is more expensive than areas in the suburbs. Also most of the times the north and east areas tend to be more expensive than the west.

You will also have to consider the type of restaurant you want to open. This will determine the size of the dining room and kitchen you will need. Further more the type of restaurant will directly affect the interior and exterior design and decoration, in order to create an atmosphere, representing the type of restaurant and seducing the diners to indulge in the specialties of the chef. Setting up a dining room for a deli or a casual family-style restaurant will be less expensive than decorating the same room for formal dining. In Cyprus you can easily find the type of property that will suit your restaurant’s type and needs, as you can find traditional buildings that are transformed into cosy and stylish restaurants right in the heart of the city, or even modern and elegant buildings with superb sea views, as there are several projects in process in all the cities.

After determining the exact location and type of restaurant, your next step is to examine whether the properties meeting your standards combine also the special facilities characterising a restaurant. The Kitchen being the heart of the restaurant has to be spacious designed with functionality and fully equipped. Now the type of equipment you will have to use depends on the type of restaurant and the menu served. It is expected that the property you purchase does not come with equipment installed, unless it was previously used as a restaurant by another owner. In such occasion setting up your restaurant can be quite easier as the property is more likely to be facilitated with all the necessary provisions required by a restaurant.

Nevertheless, you have to check if there is suitable provision for the instalment and functionality of the equipment in the property. Namely you have to consider the positions of the pipes for water supply and drainage, the number of sockets as well as the electricity capacity in the property. This is necessary if you consider buying an old traditional property and transform it into a restaurant, as the needs in electricity and water supply and drainage may not be supported by the current provisions of the property and may not even be easy to upgrade. Another characteristic which is considered as critical for a restaurant is the storage space. Do not forget that in the storage space every restaurant ought to install walk in coolers and freezers. The more extensive your menu is, the more space you will need to store all of the necessary ingredients.

A cava might be a special feature of your restaurant and is actually hard to find a property offering the certain feature. However if you consider it as compulsory for the type of restaurant you want you need to look for the property that already has a cellar to facilitate a cava, as it not a feature which you can add after the property is being build and of course a standard room can not be used as a cava. In Cyprus you can find some traditional properties featuring a cava, or a cellar, which will give to your restaurant the characteristics that attract all those wine lovers.

Before you start down the path of restaurant ownership make sure you do your homework and know precisely the characteristics of the property you will choose to house your restaurant.

Cafeterias

The characteristics of a property suitable for housing a cafeteria are in almost every aspect the same with what we discussed above for the restaurants. Again you need to consider the need for a kitchen a storage place, provisions for electricity and water supply and drainage for the kitchen as well as for the restrooms. However a cafeteria can make business with a much smaller kitchen as the food offered is more casual. What is more important for a cafeteria is the location of the cafeteria. The city’s commercial center, the tourist area and the university area are the most highly sought after areas to purchase a property and run a cafeteria. Subsequent to the location is also the type of restaurant. For example it would be wiser to open a casual cafeteria around the university area considering the target group of people which are the potential customers.

Entertainment Centers

Usually most of the entertainment centers need to be spacious in order to offer the services to the customers. As the majority of the entertainment centers are spacious enough to take in lots of people, it is compulsory to install an air ventilation system for the hygiene of the air inside the building. Another feature related to the above is the need for a strong air-conditioning system to cover the whole building. Parking space for your customers would be a must as a parking problem will discourage them from coming back. This is a reason why many entertainment centers are located in the suburbs where neighbouring plots can be bought or rent and used as a safe parking space for your customers. You should make sure that there is a public or private parking space within walking distance to the premises if they are located in the town center.

Depending on the entertainment center you want, you have to decide whether the property you will buy will have to be enforced with soundproofing, in order to avoid problems with the municipality. That would be compulsory for concert theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, live music scenes, bars and cafeterias that are working late hours.
Due to the gathering of so many people it is necessary that the building is designed in a way which promotes the safety of the people. There should be enough emergency exits in all parts of the premises enabling people to exit safely and avoid panicking. Also stairs leading from one floor to another are compulsory, as elevators might be blocked. Safe access to the disabled people should also be foreseen during the planning and construction of your property.

Medical Centres

A medical center should combine receptions and waiting rooms, offices, examination rooms, surgery rooms, storage places and en suite rooms for the patients. As a spacious property is more preferable, you should keep in mind that it is easier to find big plots in the suburbs. A multi storey property would be ideal in the occasion two or more medical specialties are practised and a parking space would be a must. If you prefer to have your medical centre in a busy area of the city you should look for a property with underground parking, as land is scarce in the town centers.

The provisions for safety precaution are highly important for your business as the state of the people using the premises is increasing the difficulty to protect themselves in case of an accident. Easy access to the water pipes and emergency exits are compulsory in order to gain the licence to practise. Further more as surgeries are taking place in your premises, you must make sure that the building can support a power generator which goes on automatically in case the electricity is cut off due to a possible hazard. The arrangement of the interior should be carefully designed to promote the safety, the accessibility and functionality.

Gyms and Spa Centers

When planning to open your own gym or spa center, there are some features that would enhance the quality of services offered. Your property needs a reception area where the registrations and programmes are carried out. Also a wide space without any columns is more ideal for a gym. A strong ventilation and air purification system would be very important for a gym, in order to maintain a hygienic and odour free atmosphere.  In a gym or a health club it is safer to put synthetic rubber flooring instead of tiles, in order to make sure any fall has the least effect and possibility of injury. Another feature characterising a gym is the access to changing rooms and showers, separate for male and female, which means that your property should have extra pipes and drainage connections.

As far as a spa center is concerned location is of grade importance as demand for such services is higher in the tourist area, or a luxury residential area. Regarding the design of the property you will need separate rooms for different spa treatments, but also provisions for the instalment of pools, Jacuzzis and saunas, steam baths and water baths. Both gyms and wellness centers are expected to offer access in the property by disabled people. Thus a building should have special facilities with equipment that is friendlier to the disabled, elevators leading to the different levels of the property, ramps in each entrance and washrooms adapted to offer an easier access.


All above are some basic tips on the features your property should have in order to effectively cater for the services you offer. However in order to set up any kind of business there are qualified people that can help you through this. Do not forget the financial and legal aspects of starting a business but also those special licenses proving the adequacy and appropriateness of your property to offer the certain services.

Copyright © CyprusNet