Sydney pub tsar and Financial Review Rich Lister Justin Hemmes will open his first venue in Melbourne after striking a deal to acquire iconic laneway building Tomasetti House on Flinders Lane from the Millett family.

Numerous sources told The Australian Financial Review the Merivale boss had struck a $40 million-plus deal to buy the seven-storey brick and bluestone building, home to the trendy Mill House Bar and Restaurant, from Sydney’s Millett family.