The Australian pub real estate market has been hot all year and is showing no signs of cooling down as we head into summer.
The last week has seen a number of transactions taking place, and here we round those up.
MAHM ramps up in Byron Bay with $68m acquisition
MA Hotel Management (MAHM) have expanded its presence in Byron Bay with the acquisition of Hotel Brunswick for $68 million. The sale was managed by HTL Property.
The acquisition includes an adjacent property, and builds upon the group’s 2019 buy of the Beach Hotel for $100 million.
MAHM CEO Dan Brady said “We were welcomed into the close-knit Byron community 19 months ago at the Beach Hotel Byron Bay and have been inspired by the exceptional spirit and sense of community that exists locally.”
Read more here.
LocalsCo buys 123 year-old Perth pub
Western Australian pub group LocalsCo has bought the 123 year-old heritage-listed Bayswater Hotel & Motel in Perth from its owner of 40 years.
The Bayswater Hotel has a footprint of 6,552sqm, and includes three bars, a café, large format restaurant, function area, TAB, drive-through bottle shop and a 40-room motel. The sale was managed by JLL, with multiple bids received.
This purchase adds to the number of large hotels owned by LocalsCo, including the Subiaco Hotel, the Rose Hotel in Bunbury, and the Exchange Hotel in Kalgoorlie.
LocalsCo is owned by Dave Allan and Lawson Douglas.
Read more here.
New entrant snaps up historic Newcastle pub
The Lucky Hotel, which has been owned by sisters Haley Van de Stadt and Blake Nash since 2016, was sold to Martin Scott and family. The sale was managed by JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group’s Vice President, Kate MacDonald, and Managing director, John Musca.
MacDonald said: “The Lucky Hotel is an outstanding hospitality asset in the heart of the developing East End of Newcastle.”
The Lucky Hotel sits on a site of 820sqm, and includes 17 gaming machines and 30 ensuite rooms.
Scott, who is the Australian Head of Swiss private equity firm Partners Group, purchased ‘The Lucky’ for around $20 million.
Read more here.
Pub @ Rivo sold as Stanford family divest
The Sandford family have sold their last Western Sydney gaming venue, Pub @ Rivo, bringing in $160 million in total.
The new owner is a private Sydney consortium led by PwC Australia legal partner Andrew Wheeler, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.
Pub @ Rivo has a large beer garden and multiple street frontages, alongside gaming patronage and a strong food and beverage offering.
The Stanford family engaged the services of HTL Property to manage the sale, with Managing Director Andrew Jolliffe saying:
“The circa $160m Stanford portfolio sale has unmistakably set new benchmarks for both sale prices and exit yields achieved, and commensurately, it has certainly been a prosperous year for this most robust of property classes.”
The exit of the Stanford family comes after nearly 50 years in the Australian hotel trade.
Read more here.