The portfolio of Sydney’s king of pubs Justin Hemmes continues to grow at an insane rate, with confirmation rolling in that the hospitality honcho has secured the purchase of yet another pub-of-note in inner Sydney.
Hemmes, along with his ownership group Merivale, has officially purchased the Royal Hotel Bondi on Bondi Road, a stone’s throw from the beach.
The purchase of the Royal will set Hemmes and Merivale back a reported $25million, with ownership set to transfer in July of next year.
This is 10th pub Hemmes has purchased in the past three years alone, and follows on from prior acquisitions The Alexandria Hotel, The Tennyson, The Collaroy, and the recent purchase of beloved Marrickville dive the Vic on the Park.
The Royal Hotel Bondi is a well-preserved relic of a by-gone era, replete with well trodden-in carpets and such. Hemmes’ purchase of the pub brings an end to previous owner Geoff Moulding‘s tenure at the venue. Moulding, along with his family, had maintained possession and operation of the venue for 40 years prior to today’s sale.
There’s no word yet on what Hemmes has planned for the pub but it seems unlikely the venue will maintain operations in its current form once ownership transfers.
Hemmes is also reportedly open-minded to acquiring more hotels in the near future, telling NewsCorp that he has no problems “expanding and growing if the right things keep coming up.”
Where that statement takes him, and the pubs of Sydney, in the near future is anyone’s guess.
