Wishaw's only Celtic pub The Cross Keys Inn listed for sale for £400,000

Wishaw's only Celtic pub, The Cross Keys Inn, was listed for sale last month for a freehold price of £400,000.

The popular pub draws in Celtic fans from across North Lanarkshire, particularly from more rural areas like Shotts and Carluke, and especially on match days. On Old Firm days the pub can be packed to the rafters and is well-loved by the punters that frequent the pub on Wishaw's main street.

It's not hard to tell the pub is a Celtic house - it's immediately apparent when you walk in the door, adorned with Celtic memorabilia, original paintings, signed jerseys, and more.

The current owner plans to retire once the sale is complete - the family have been running the pub for over a decade now and have become respected by regulars in the community as a result. The long-established pub is 'wet-only' meaning there is no current food service, although there is a kitchen in the rear. Previously the pub offered food through Notorious BRG, a catering firm who offered burgers and pub food from the Cross Keys kitchen.

The pub is also available under tenancy, should a new buyer wish to rent it out as an investment rather than operating the business. The Cross Keys is home to the Wishaw Emeralds Celtic Supporters Club, who frequently run buses from the pub to Celtic Park and back. Currently the pub hosts weekly functions with live music and on occasion a traditional Irish band.

A large beer garden can be found at the rear of the pub, built over previous wasteland ground into a pretty scenic place to sit in the summer. It was used extensively during the Covid-19 lockdowns on an occasional license, although a new buyer would need to confirm a full and permanent license with North Lanarkshire Council's licensing board if they wished to make use of the space.

The Cross Keys is no stranger to national news either - it was widely reported back in 2022 when a unionist group demanded the pub take down a Japanese flag they were flying in support of Celtic Player Kyogo Furuhashi - the complainants claimed the flag was an 'insult' to British people who died fighting the Japanese in World War 2.

The Wishaw pub is available to an interested buyer for a freehold price of £400,000, it boasted a turnover of £400,000 for the financial year ending May 2022 - and according to RightBiz, has a net profit of £90,000 (20% profit margin).

The pub is being marketed by Scottish Business Agency and viewings are by appointment only - you can view the full listing here.