Justin Hemmes’ company Merivale has bought Byron Bay’s iconic Cheeky Monkey’s bar and a massage spa next door

The company, which runs a restaurant and bar empire, will take over the keys to the prominent venue in the coming days and has shed some light on its vision for the future of the space.

Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes.

Justin Hemmes’ company Merivale has bought a prominent Byron Bay club and a massage spa next door.

Merivale has acquired 115 Jonson St, home to Cheeky Monkey’s Bar, as well as an adjoining massage spa.

In a statement, the company announced the venue would reopen as a restaurant and bar later in the year.

Justin Hemmes is CEO of the restaurant, bar and wedding venue empire which also owns Totti’s Italian restaurant and Jimmy’s Falafel in Sydney, among many others.

Mr Hemmes said the town was special to him.

Cheeky Monkeys on Jonson Street in Byron Bay.

“I’ve been going to Byron since I was 10 years old, so it has always been a place close to my heart,” he said.

“I can’t wait to open our first venue on the North Coast and spend more time in the area.

“There’s simply no place like it.”

Merivale will receive the keys to the property on May 28.

Merivale has been owned and run by the Hemmes family for more than six decades.

There had previously been speculation Merivale had purchased a nearby block consisting of the Mercato shopping centre and adjacent old Woolworths site, but this was incorrect.

That site has instead been purchased by a family fund headed by the Mustaca and Pelligra Families.