A POPULAR Old Town ice cream shop is being up for sale as its owner prepares to step aside.

Rays Ice Cream boss Hadi Brooks started the business 10 years ago with her husband and now hopes to sell it after successfully weathering the challenges of the pandemic’s lockdowns.

The change of hands is not expected to affect the day-to-day running of the Devizes Road mainstay and Hadi expects her successor to continue its growth.

She said: “During the first lockdown, Rays was forced to pivot very quickly and it’s a testament to both the team and the brand that it did so successfully. It made me see that the brand no longer needs me and can thrive without me.

“We’ve identified some amazing opportunities for the business and the building blocks are in place to bring these to fruition with a new leader able to take those next steps.”

A listing on the RightBiz website offers the business, including its retail site and manufacturing facility, for just under £300,000 with £16,000 in annual rent costs and an annual turnover of £300,000.

Mrs Brooks wants to spend more time working on her other venture My Business Buddy, where she uses her years of experience to provide mentoring and operational support to other hospitality and food business owners.

She added: “I’m a mum and a wife and am finding that as the mentoring takes off, I have less and less time, though I am loving helping other small business owners. Therefore, it’s time to make a choice.

“This last year has made me reflect on life choices and I know this is the right decision for me and my family.

“I absolutely love the business and have very mixed feelings about putting it on the market, but it feels like the right thing to do in order to give me the time to focus on the other things I'd like to do.

“I'm incredibly proud of what Rays has become. It’s a growing, multi-channel business with an incredible product, made and delivered by a wonderful team.

“It’s very much still business as usual here. The team and I are gearing up for a great season and to continue the year-on-year growth that the business has always achieved.

“I’ll be looking for the best deal for Rays, which is not all about the money. It will be about finding the right person with the right passion and understanding of the brand to really take it and the team to the next level.”