ONE of Winchester's most popular cafes has gone up for sale, weeks after it emerged that the company owed more than half a million pounds in unpaid tax.

SO Winchester, formerly Ginger Two, has been listed for £89,000 and already attracted two offers.

The Chronicle revealed in December that Ginger Two Ltd was liquidated owing £580,000 in unpaid tax, with £14,000 due to suppliers and other businesses.

Directors Mark and Jane Stayman are selling their leasehold with St John's Winchester Charity, which owns the listed 19th century building in St Thomas Street.

The couple has run the cafe for several months under new company SO Winchester Ltd, separate to the firm which owed money.

St John's director Clive Cook said: "The lease remains in place at this point and we support the Stayman’s efforts to find a buyer for their business."

Hampshire Chronicle:

Jane Stayman, co-owner of Ginger Two/SO Winchester

The cafe has a weekly turnover of £9,000 and pays a total rent of £38,500 per year, according to the listing by business transfer agent Andrew Greenwood.

He said: "We've already had two offers – they're not acceptable but they're getting there.

"Providing we've got interest in the business, the landlords are quite happy to let the current tenants remain in situ.

"They've obviously got themselves in a pickle with HMRC. I think they've probably just had enough of it."

The shop is in the middle of two five-year leases which expire in May 2019.

Mr Greenwood said most buyers would want to negotiate a new long-term deal.

"It will sell because of its location," he added.

"It's a fantastic property, it's a great location and the business is doing well."

It is unclear whether Ginger Gelato, the Staymans' ice cream and soup shop opposite SO Winchester, will be affected.

Mrs Stayman has previously contested HM Revenue and Customs' assessment of Ginger Two Ltd's debt, branding it "absolute rubbish".

In an email to the Chronicle, she said: "1. SO Winchester Ltd is on the market. 2. We have several interested buyers. 3. St John's are working with us towards this sale. 4. The lease is still in place."

She added: "We are selling the business due to several different reasons...

"-We have been running a shop for seven years and it is time for a change.

"-Our wish to return to regular employment.

"-Our wish to have a more settled home life for us and our children, i.e. not working 7 days a week.

"-Our utter disgust at the way the Hampshire Chronicle has treated a family run local business with unproven and untrue facts, intrussion of privacey [sic] for both us and our families, sensationalist headlines etc. All of this was published during a fragile time (previous company is still in liquidation) and HMRC figures were unsubstantiated when you decided to publish your article.

"All of the above have made both of us (Jane and Mark Stayman) very stressed and considerably unwell. We do not wish to continue this with a young family to raise.

"Your previous article is currently being reviewed by IPSO [Independent Press Standards Organisation]."

Before publishing its original story on Ginger Two, the Chronicle approached Mrs Stayman for comment by leaving a phone message and visiting the shop. Her comments were published in full.

Companies House records show that when the company was wound up in October, it owed around £289,000 in corporation tax, £275,000 in VAT and £16,000 in PAYE fees.