By Triana O'Keefe, editor Australian Hotelier
Tough trading conditions in Sydney tested the resilience, adaptability and innovation of publicans, but C.inc CEO Christopher Cheung said he is proud of how his team responded to the demanding business environment.
“We saw government continue with increasing legislation compliance within the industry, and a multitude of initiatives inflicted both increased costs and reduced revenue upon many operators,” Cheung said.
“Sustainability of certain businesses has been difficult.”
“In the CBD and Kings Cross, 1.30am lockouts and cessation of trading at 3am were introduced, as well as ID scanners in Kings Cross from 9pm seven days a week. This affected our business at The Bourbon and, despite some commendable and creative solutions from our team to retain customer loyalty, Kings Cross continues to be tough. The Bourbon Hotel is now on the market due to our master plan being derailed by the legislation changes,” he said.
“There’s no doubt our industry is changing fast, but C.inc’s three core strategies remain consistent: food, guest service and people. Across all our business in 2015 we will be committed to developing and growing our food offerings, seeking excellence in guest service and nurturing our people. We know that people are our business. We constantly seek the right individuals with the right skills in every role, and we are fortunate in having retained longstanding employees whom we recognize as a huge asset to the team.”
For the full interview with Christopher Cheung, see the upcoming 2015 Leaders’ Forum edition of Australian Hotelier.