For the second time in 12 months, a central west hotel is up for sale with a former dealer principal of a Dubbo car dealership putting it on the market.
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The 1880 Hotel in Bathurst, which was transformed from the Edinboro Castle Hotel into The 1880 by former owners Jason Oates and Ross Clarke, first opened in 2021.
It was then listed for sale in April, 2023.
For $2.4 million, The 1880 was purchased soon after listing by prominent businessman Greg Brimble and his wife Rebecca, as an investment for the couple.
Mr Brimble, who is no stranger to the region, previously co-owned Clancy Automotive and Western Plains Automotive in Dubbo, and Clancy Motors in Bathurst.
He co-purchased the Heyer Ford business and its land in Dubbo in 2010 and rebranded it Clancy Automotive.
He later went on to co-purchase Western Plains Automotive and moved to Dubbo in 2013.
However in recent years he has sold his automotive businesses and purchased the Jayco Nowra Caravan Dealership in 2022.
He had initially planned for the Bathurst hotel to be run by a management team, but unfortunately this arrangement fell through.
And after a tumultuous year in business, the couple have decided to list the hotel.
This decision came after Mr Brimble was approached by specialist hotel broker Leonard Bongiovanni from Manenti Quinlan and Associates, and was left with a decision to make.
"He just asked me if we were keen on listing it. The company specialises in hotels and they're a creditable firm with a good reputation, and I said 'actually, that would be quite alright'," Mr Brimble said.
So far, The 1880 has been welcoming expressions of interest (EOI), which closed on Thursday, April 18.
Mr Brimble said that there were several EOIs made for the hotel, and that he and the broker will now begin commencing official discussions in regards to these expressions.
As for a reasonable selling point, Mr Brimble said he was looking for a fair deal, but was also negotiable on a price.
"We paid $2.4 million for it and I'm happy to move on with something around that mark," he said.
And according to Mr Brimble, the decision to sell was an easy one.
As he is getting older, he said that his priorities are changing, and he is now looking to spend more time with his family.
"I've got too many other things on, and other businesses, and I'm not at the age where I want to be worrying about a pub and all the other bits and pieces that go with it," he said.
"We've just come to the conclusion ourselves that we would just rather be doing less, and spending more time with our family."
Now, Mr Brimble is hoping that the hotel will be sold to someone with the right level of enthusiasm to properly realise the potential of the venue.
The ideal 1880 buyer
"I think it's a good pub, for the right people, with the right level of energy - a level of energy higher than what I've got," he said.
"I think it's got a great future as a premiere live music destination, for late night entertainment and a safe place for the young people, with plenty of room.
"I'd be happy for Bathurst to see it going into good hands, and to see somebody really take advantage of what's there."
And this potential is exactly why specialist hotel broker Mr Bongiovanni first approached Mr Brimble regarding the sale of the premises.
According to Mr Bongiovanni, hotels such as The 1880 are especially popular.
"Strong regional cities are always sought after, particularly with accommodation hotel assets, so we approached Greg to see if there would be any interest in selling the hotel," he said.
Mr Bongiovanni said he would encourage anybody with interest in the property to contact him on 0403 022 021.
