The Elephant & Castle Hotel in Bathurst is the latest regional New South Wales pub to be sold, in an ongoing trend for regional centre pubs.
Long-time owners Campbell and Annette Gibson and their business partners have sold the pub via on off-market process, facilitated by Kate MacDonald of JLL Hotels & Hospitality. The Gibsons are intending on a sea change after 14 years at the helm of the Bathurst pub.
“A great result for wonderful people. This transaction has been a long time coming for our vendors, and we’re delighted to be the agents to have helped with this important mandate,” stated MacDonald.
The Elephant & Castle Hotel sits on a 1,067 sqm corner block and its proposition includes a well-patronised public bar, three high-performing EGMs, six underutilised accommodation rooms, a large manager’s residence and beer garden.
The pub has been purchased by an experienced partnership of publicans who have substantial plans for the hotel including a major internal renovation. Opportunities for growth of the business for the incoming owners lies in accommodation, bistro and gaming streams, which can all be upgraded with minor investment.
The pub is also set to benefit in the long-term by the Bathurst Regional Council’s plans to reinvigorate the CBD centre through a new Town Centre Master Plan, which will look to refresh and update seven central blocks and add a Charles Sturt University presence within the CBD.
The sale of the Elephant & Castle Hotel is the second Bathurst pub transaction to be announced in the last week, with the Dudley Hotel on the other side of the CBD being sold to Canberra-based Investment Management Group Hotels as part of the divestment of the MPK Hotels portfolio.