An Ayrshire businessman and three friends have bought their local pub after its owner decided to retire.
Majority shareholder Stuart Mair and three fellow patrons of Mack’s Bar in Kilmarnock moved to take over the freehold as Mary Polding made plans to step back from the business.
They have now bought the award-winning bar which sits near Rugby Park and is famed for welcoming visiting as well as home fans after it was marketed by Cornerstone Business Agents.
Mr Mair told The Herald the new owners intend to maintain the pub as a community hub.
"Immediately, not any major plans," he said. "There’s a few other guys in it with me. I’m the majority shareholder but there’s three other friends who have decided to come in with me. We’ve drank in the pub for a number of years.
"The plan is to at some point refurbish it in terms of bring it more up to date, but without a doubt we look at it as a community pub."
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He added: "It is obviously very associated to Kilmarnock Football Club, the supporters. As much as we might want to change the décor we definitely want to keep that heart and soul of what Mack’s Bar has always been.
"Anything we do will be very sympathetic to what the existing customers want so that they can come for a beer before the football, after the football, on a Wednesday night, whatever."
While his three partners are all Kilmarnock fans, Mr Mair supports Rangers as his first team.
"I’m born and bred in Kilmarnock but Killie’s my second team," he said.
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"I’ve already had a laugh with a few regulars who were saying I was going to start taking all the memorabilia down and replacing it with Rangers stuff."
David Higgins, of Cornerstone Business Agents, said: "Mack's Bar in Kilmarnock had been on the market for a few years with a couple of other agents when I popped in to see Mary Polding at the end of September last year.
"After running the bar for 26 years it was time for retirement from this traditional 'boozer' located close to Rugby Park."
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Mr Higgins added: "We started marketing the bar at the start of October and within three weeks had agreed a deal … with a customer of the pub!
"A quick win for all concerned when the deal completed last week. Best wishes to the buyers and to Mary for a long and happy retirement.”
The agent also said: "Due to its close vicinity to Rugby Park, it is a popular haunt for Kilmarnock Football Club supporters as well as for visiting fans too."
The value of the deal was not disclosed but the pub was advertised at a guide price of £140,000.
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