Lou's Food Emporium
About this opportunity
Lou’s Food Emporium is a long-established deli, café and specialty food business with more than 50 years of history in the heart of Ingham.
Positioned approximately 250 metres from the Bruce Highway, Lou’s is within easy reach of a major North Queensland travel corridor where published TMR traffic data has recorded around 2.8 million vehicle movements annually.
Business Story
Lou’s Food Emporium is an established continental deli, café and specialty food business located in the heart of Ingham, North Queensland.
Trading for more than 50 years, Lou’s has built a recognised local name around its extensive range of cheeses, salami, olives, Italian meats and smallgoods, supported by specialty groceries, pasta, sauces, cakes, sweets and pantry products.
The business has evolved beyond the traditional deli model, with an existing café and takeaway offering including coffee, fresh sandwiches, toasties, pizzas, cakes, juices and prepared meals.
Its location adds another dimension to the opportunity.
Lou’s sits approximately 250 metres from the Bruce Highway, one of North Queensland’s major travel routes. Published TMR traffic data has recorded around
2.8 million annual vehicle movements on the nearby highway corridor, placing the business within easy reach of substantial passing traffic as well as its established local customer base.
For an incoming owner, there is a clear opportunity to further develop Lou’s as a modern deli-style sandwich and food destination — somewhere known for quality coffee, premium sandwiches, fresh grab-and-go food and a distinctive deli and specialty grocery range.
The concept is particularly well suited to travellers and tourists looking for a worthwhile food stop during a long journey, while the deli and specialty food offering gives Lou’s a point of difference from conventional highway fast food.
The foundations are already in place. Lou’s has the established name, central location, deli and specialty grocery range, café offering, commercial equipment, experienced staff and more than five decades of goodwill.
An incoming owner could build on those foundations with a stronger focus on premium deli sandwiches, quality coffee, prepared meals, grab-and-go food, platters and catering while retaining the products and heritage that have made Lou’s a recognised Ingham business.
The opportunity is not to reinvent Lou’s, but to take an established food business in an exceptional position and realise more of its potential with both the local and passing market.
The current owners are ready to step back for personal reasons and would like to see Lou’s pass to an enthusiastic purchaser who can respect its history while taking the business into its next chapter.
Our People
Denny brings a distinguished career spanning corporate management, national and international FMCG organisations, and hands on ownership of multiple small businesses. His background includes extensive experience in operational management, sales and marketing leadership, franchise management, and the successful ownership and operation of motels, courier services, and supermarket businesses.
Recognising a gap in the market for a communicator with deep operational insight and genuine commercial understanding, Denny established his business broking practice in 2007. Drawing on decades of combined corporate and small business experience, he has elevated the standard of business brokering through the creation of the Business Sales Group—comprising of NQ Business Sales, CQ Business Sales, FNQ Business Sales and SEQ Business Sales.
Today, the Business Sales Group operates as a highly automated, technology driven organisation, delivering exceptional reach, rapid response times, and a consistently professional product. This modern platform has set new benchmarks in efficiency, presentation, and buyer engagement.
Denny’s focus remains unwavering: to support both sellers and buyers throughout the transaction process and deliver outcomes that are fair, transparent, and commercially sound. He continues to grow the business footprint while embracing the latest technologies to ensure clients receive a premium, high quality service.
Elliott Millar is a business broker dedicated to making the sales journey clear, supported, and stress free for business owners. With five years’ experience as a Marine Engineering Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy — including a secondment to the Royal Australian Navy — he brings a calm, structured, and dependable approach to every transaction. His background “supporting engineering teams in the management of critical naval assets” shaped his ability to stay composed under pressure and guide people through complex processes with clarity.
Elliott’s focus is simple: ensure clients feel informed, understood, and confident from the first conversation through to settlement. He breaks the sales process into clear, manageable steps, sets realistic expectations, and provides steady guidance so owners never feel overwhelmed or uncertain.
He works closely with clients to understand their goals, prepare their business for market, and present it in a way that reflects its true strengths. His people first leadership style — developed through mentoring teams and coordinating high stakes operations — ensures every client receives patient communication, thoughtful advice, and consistent support.
Whether managing enquiries, coordinating with buyers, or facilitating a smooth handover, Elliott prioritises transparency, communication, and a positive experience for all involved. His commitment extends beyond completing a transaction; he aims to make the entire process easier, more comfortable, and genuinely supported.
Elliott’s promise to his clients: clear communication, steady support, and a sales process that feels manageable every step of the way.
Phil started his working career in purchasing with large and multi-national companies in Sydney.
A family relocation to Bowen in 1974 was the catalyst to owning his own business.
Phil has been in various businesses from Pest Control to Delicatessen/Takeaway and has for the last 39 years built a wholesale business that has served Bowen, Whitsundays, Mackay and the Coalfields, from 1 truck and himself to 6 trucks and 15 employees.
This has given Phil a very solid knowledge of the area from Bowen to Rockhampton and what it takes to thrive in business there.
Phil has a strong knowledge of business and business practices built through the process of growing his own business as well as time spent on State Franchise Council and dealing with the many changing government policies in those 39 years.
The process of selling his own business has shown Phil the real need for a locally based business broker, easily contacted and heavily focused on the Central Queensland area, which has led to his involvement in CQ Business Brokers.