City Beat: Qld Cricketers’ Club diversifies

The long-running Queensland Cricketers’ Club has been forced to diversify their business following a massive net loss. This is how they plan to turn their fortunes around.

DIVERSIFYING your income streams is always a good idea and one that seems especially true in this moment of coronavirus-driven instability.

So it seems prescient that the Queensland Cricketers’ Club is about to expand its revenue base in Brisbane to include accommodation letting and another hospitality venue.

The group’s QCC Consulting has struck a five-year deal to manage 30 of the 170 units in the new Linton Hotel, a $92 million project opposite the Gabba cricket grounds set to open on March 23.

The apartments in the rental pool are owned by the project developer, Sydney-based Quantum Group, with the balance of the units held by private investors. It’s the third project in the city for Quantum, which snared the Linton Street site for $7 million back in 2016.

The QCC will also be operating the new Elevate Bar & Lounge on the rooftop of the 17-storey Linton building, which will afford impressive views of both the cricket grounds and the city skyline. It’s set to launch in early May.

Queensland Cricketers Club Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Furnell at the Gabba. Picture: Richard Walker

QCC boss Lachlan Furnell told City Beat yesterday that his group is aiming to be seen as a “boutique hospitality operator’’ targeting corporate clients as it expands its portfolio of interests.

“It complements our catering arm, which is doing all the catering for Allan Border Field. We’ve opened up a permanent café within those grounds and we’re doing all the player catering,’’ Furnell said.

“We realise we needed to expand our business and not just rely on the Gabba.’’

He’s expecting the new hotel rooms and Elevate bar to generate about $300,000 in revenue annually for the QCC, which suffered an $81,481 net loss last year after a pretty disappointing cricket season.

That was quite a reversal on the $441,207 net profit chalked up in 2018.