Blackpool North Pier sold to Okken
The London-based investor in leisure assets has acquired the town’s oldest pier from the Sedgwick family.
Okken, headed up by chief executive Paul Cooper, said the grade two-listed North Pier in Blackpool, which was built in 1863, “exemplifies the kind of business we are built to own: distinctive, well established, full of character, and best served by patient, attentive stewardship.”
A prime example of Victorian architecture, the pier features a 1,465-capacity theatre, an amusement arcade, a two-tier carousel, and multiple cafes and bars.
The Sedgwick family purchased the 145,300 sq ft property in 2011 for £140,000, according to HM Land Registry files.
Since then, it has conducted a series of improvement works, including a 2020 refurbishment of the 500-capacity Bloom Bar. A planning application has also been lodged for a substantial refresh of the pier’s Merrie England Bar.
The Sedgwick family owns Blackpool’s two other piers.
Avison Young advised on the sale.
