The cashed-up corporates and local families running our pubs

Cashed-up corporates may own most of the Coast’s pubs, but there are still opportunities to get a cold one from an independent venue. SEE WHO OWNS YOUR LOCAL

Cashed-up corporates may own a large chunk of the Sunshine Coast's pubs, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get a cold one from an independent watering hole.

New analysis reveals independent operators continue to have a considerable footprint on the Coast, owning close to half of the major pubs.

Unsurprisingly, the nation's largest venue operator, Woolworths-backed ALH Group, owns the most Sunshine Coast pubs, with a total of 11 from Coolum Beach to Pelican Waters.

First glimpse: Designs done, tenders out for tavern

Swan song for fish, chip shop as developers move in

Australia's second largest pubs group, Australian Venue Co operates the taps at four of the region's venues.

Backed by Australian businessman Bruce Dixon and US private equity giant KKR, it owns 157 pubs nationally and has annual revenues of more than $600 million.

It also has a joint venture agreement with Coles to operate hotels and pubs, while the supermarket giant operates the attached bottle shops.

The most recent sale of a Coast pub was The Creek Tavern, which was snapped up by the Sydney-based Paul Irvin Group in July 2019.

See the map to find out who owns your local. The independent operators are in green.

Ipswich-based Queensland player Donna White.

The group's director is Joe Irvin and it operates pubs in Queensland and New South Wales.

The region's most prominent independent operator is Sunshine Coast Hotels Group which owns Baringa, Brightwater and the Parklands taverns.

The group's managing director, industry veteran Scott Armstrong, said while independent hoteliers had their challenges, it was a rewarding industry to be part of.

Mr Armstrong owned several pubs in New South Wales with other investors before he and his family moved to the Sunshine Coast and began to work on creating a sustainable local hotel group.

All hotels owned on the Coast were built from the ground up, the first being Bellvista Tavern which recently closed due to COVID-19.

Brightwater was opened in November 2013, followed by Parklands in March 2015 and Baringa in October 2019.

Mr Armstrong expects to open his fourth pub by late next year, the Bli Bli Tavern, currently being developed by Michael White.

"(Sunshine Coast Hotels Group) has grown quickly," he said.

"We've tried to build some scale up here on the Coast.

"It's not easy to run multiple venues, but if you have a good structure and the right people around you it's possible.

"We want to build a group of locally-owned and trusted venues and create a standard in each of them which is about really good customer experiences and consistency."

Steeped in history, the majority of the traditional weatherboard pubs in the Sunshine Coast hinterland are owned by independent operators.

Rick and Keri Gazzard have owned the Palmwoods and Beerwah hotels for more than 15 years.

The iconic Imperial Hotel at Eumundi which opened in 1911 is still owned by independents Craig and Melissa Manley and Paul Thomas, after it was sold by former owners Michael and Caroline Arnett.

Originally published as