MA EGERTON´S FOR SALE

An iconic Liverpool pub that has welcomed global stars such as Charlie Chaplin, The Beatles and Bob Dylan down the years has been put up for sale.

Ma Egerton's Stage Door, which is located next to Liverpool Lime Street station in the city centre, is currently owned by actor and entrepreneur Iain Hoskins who is planning to relocate to Los Angeles. The pub's neighbours include the O2 Academy and the Liverpool Empire.

The pub dates back to 1869 and has been visited by a host of stars from film, TV and the stage over the decades including Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Amy Winehouse, Harry Houdini, The Beatles, Sammy Davis Jr, Pamela Anderson, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

Over the past three years, the site has benefitted from an investment of almost £400,000. Part of this was spent on installing Ma's Old Fashioned Pizza Shop.

The Manchester office of Christie + Co is marketing the leasehold interest in Ma Egerton's Stage Door.

Hoskins said: "I am immensely proud of the past three years of hard work in smashing previously unobtainable sales targets and reinventing this classic pub.

"She will be very hard to leave behind, but Ma's a girl who requires 100 per cent devotion and loyalty and so it wouldn't be practical to manage her remotely. It's satisfying to know that I am passing on a business that's in excellent health, profitability and an unblemished reputation with bags of potential still to realise for the right buyer. "For now however, it's business as usual as we look toward Christmas and our strong line-up of events, including Tina Malone quiz and celebrity singalong nights."

Lee Bloomberg, negotiator at Christie + Co's Manchester office who is handling the sale, said: "The sale presents an exciting opportunity to acquire an important piece of Liverpool history.

"Ma Egerton's Stage Door has consistently been voted the best Liverpool bar and pub from TripAdvisor and always features at the top of every compiled best pub list for the region. The launch of the Paramount student complex next door presents potentially excellent footfall and the opportunity for a new buyer to build on an already excellent business."