Charter Hall, Australian Venue Co land Sydney's Clock and Bank Hotels in $94m deal
Two of Sydney's best-known inner-city pubs have changed hands in a deal worth around $94 million, as institutional capital continues to pour into the NSW hotel market.
The Clock Hotel in Surry Hills and The Bank Hotel in Newtown have been sold by Amalgamated Hotels, the Fairfax family's pub business, to a partnership between property funds manager Charter Hall and private equity-backed operator Australian Venue Co (AVC).
Under the structure, AVC paid about $32 million for the leaseholds, while a Charter Hall-run fund paid roughly $62 million for the freehold interests, with the venues to be leased back over ten years. The transaction reflects an initial yield of about 5 per cent.
The Clock Hotel's sale price of approximately $70 million makes it the largest transaction on record for a food-and-beverage-led pub in Australia.
Both venues had been held for long periods under Amalgamated's ownership: The Clock for 23 years and The Bank Hotel for 14. They were managed by Solotel prior to sale. The Clock, on Crown Street, draws revenue from its bar, food and bottle shop operations and runs 10 gaming machines. The Bank Hotel sits opposite Newtown Station on King Street.
The deal was brokered by John Musca, Ben McDonald and Kate MacDonald of JLL's Hotels and Hospitality Group. Musca said the pairing of an experienced operator with institutional property capital reflected a broader trend reshaping pub ownership in the sector, describing it as a "growing investment model in the hospitality sector, combining operational expertise with long-term real estate ownership to maximise both trading performance and asset value appreciation."
The sale adds to a strong year for NSW pub transactions, with the sector recording around $1.4 billion in deals in 2026 despite broader concerns over softer consumer spending affecting other retail categories.
Other recent large-scale pub sales include the Thomas family's $42 million purchase of the Regent Hotel in Kingsford from the Fairfax family in May, Iris Capital's $500 million acquisition of the Redcape portfolio, the $70 million sale of the Bexley North Hotel, and Arthur Laundy's purchase of the Woy Woy Hotel.
Jonathan Jackson, 24th August 2026
