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Pubs

This Month

Chris Unger

Major pub owners in push to build apartments above venues

Long the heart of local community life, pubs and their prize real estate could also help ease the housing squeeze, say the nation’s biggest pub owners.

November

Tabcorp chief executive Gillon McLachlan is offering commissions and incentives to pubs and clubs who get punters to gamble at terminals.

Tabcorp bonuses for big betting pubs revealed in confidential briefing

The strategy presented to hoteliers and clubs says the bookmaker will set aside $50 million for betting inducements and $80 million to overhaul its terminals.

The Silverwater Hotel in Sydney’s west has sold to Marlow Hotel Group for around $75 million.

Sydney pub sells for $75m in the second-largest deal of 2025

The pubs sector is on a roll as big players bet on long-term growth despite young people drinking less. With fewer opportunities to invest, prices are rising.

Jon Adgemis’ Hurstville property, acquired for $3 million in 2007, and jointly owned by a company associated with his mother, is supporting a $15.5 million mortgage.

This $4.5m pile of rubble has secured $135m in Adgemis debt

A new court-appointed trustee has detailed its attempts at checking the bankrupt businessman’s wealth and lifestyle since the collapse of his pub empire.

The Mona Castle Group, backed by some ex and current Western Bulldogs players, has snapped up the Spotswood Hotel in Melbourne’s west.

AFL players team up for pub deal in Melbourne’s west

A pub group involving high-profile AFL midfielder Tom Liberatore has bought its third venue and promises to bring the spirit of country pubs to the city.

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The Laundy’s have offloaded The Settler’s Tavern in West Gosford.

Laundys sell pub on NSW’s Central Coast for $18.5 million

Arthur Laundy and his daughter and son-in-law, Justine and Nick Tindall, have sold the West Gosford venue after nearly a decade of ownership.

From the paddock to the pub: Sporting stars kick goals in hospitality

From AFL premiership captains to loosehead props, players are turning their lucrative salaries towards pub and bar investments.

The South Bondi Hotel, formerly Noah’s Backpackers, is one of two properties for sale, once operated by troubled publican Jon Adgemis.

Iconic Bondi venue among three Jon Adgemis properties to hit market

They are among five assets that lender Deutsche Bank took control of in September. Adgemis was declared bankrupt last month.

October

Richard’s on the Park in Canley Vale has sold for $64 million, marking the second-biggest pub transaction so far this year.

Family-owned pub sells for $64m in Sydney’s biggest deal this year

The Webster family has offloaded its Richard’s on the Park pub in Sydney’s west, which marks the second-biggest pub sale nationwide so far in 2025.

Bad at pool but love to play? Topgolf twins bring AI to the table

Steve and Dave Jolliffe, pioneers of the competitive socialising industry, are back with their signature use of technology to turn sports into casual games.

Fund manager Harvest Hospitality has sold The Northside Hotel for $27 million.

Harvest Hospitality offloads Albury pub for $27m and plans new funds

The fund manager is tapping a surge of investment in the sector. It will return capital to investors from the latest deal and then look to launch new funds.

Redcape has acquired the Plough Inn in Brisbane for $40 million.

Historic pub changes hands for $40m

Hotel fund Redcape Hospitality has snapped up popular Brisbane venue The Plough Inn, the latest deal amid a surge of investment into the sector this year.

The Beach Hotel in Byron Bay changed hands for $140 million this year.

The $1.7b pubs boom that shows no sign of slowing

Family pub groups and fund managers are scrambling for venues amid limited choice. Prices are rising, pushing investment so far this year higher than average.

Jon Adgemis left behind his corporate advisory practice to launch a major hospitality empire.

Bankrupt Adgemis’ deal to rescue a slice of his pub empire collapses

The venues in Sydney had been in administration, with the businessman striking a last-ditch deal to buy them back. But a failure to pay has killed that plan.

Hollie Hughes will take control of the Hotel Alexander pub at Rydal next week.

Ex-Liberal senator got dumped by politics. So she bought a pub

Hollie Hughes left the Senate earlier this year after losing a preselection battle. Her next act is as a publican.

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Jon Adgemis on Thursday near the beachfront penthouse he is living in. He faces bankruptcy after his pub and venue empire collapsed.

What the Adgemis case can teach us about reform – and productivity

AFSA’s action in the Adgemis case isn’t just about compliance. It’s about protecting confidence, recycling capital and keeping credit flowing.

Jon Adgemis was the half owner of a now-inactive Italian olive oil business.

Jon Adgemis, the loss-making olive oil company, and the $625,000 loan

Tax officials queried hundreds of thousands transferred to the now-inactive Italian business which, despite running for years, reported production valued at just €1.

Pub tsar Martin Short’s Welcome Hospitality has offloaded The Redfern in Sydney’s inner-south for about $20 million.

Pubs veteran Martin Short sells The Redfern for $20m-plus

The latest hotel deal is more than triple what the owner paid for the venue just nine years ago and follows a string of sales across Sydney in just four weeks.

From playboy pub baron to bankruptcy: Inside Jon Adgemis’ $1.8b fall

He’s gone from KPMG consultant to “glamour banker” to junk-debt-laden bankrupt. It’s been a wild ride for Jon Adgemis and his Public Hospitality Group.

Jon Adgemis’ hospitality empire has collapsed.

Pub baron’s $1.8b bankruptcy won’t end liquidator’s pursuit

Jon Adgemis may still face a public grilling over his $1.8 billion failure, an ignominious end for the KPMG dealmaker who once advised rich listers Bruce Gordon and Jan Cameron.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/pubs-hqh