Higher taxes hurt pubs, clubs

CLOSED? The Archer Hotel, on Port Curtis Road, was closed yesterday.

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ROCKHAMPTON’S pubs and clubs are doing it tough at the moment, forcing some businesses to go into receivership or shut the doors, an industry spokesman said yesterday.

Queensland Hoteliers Association Rockhampton representative Will Cordwell said several factors had combined to put the pressure on hotels across the city.

In recent developments on the pub scene, new owners are expected to take over at prominent Rockhampton hotel The Lionleigh Tavern within a few weeks after the venue had been placed in the hands of receivers.

The popular hotel, which had previously been owned by rugby league great Chris Close until he sold it a few years ago, went into receivership last October.

The hotel is under contract, with the new owners set to take the reins by the end of August.

O’Dowd’s Irish Pub has also been placed in receivership during the past couple of months and will go to auction mid-August with strong interest shown in the venue.

Meanwhile, The Archer Hotel on Port Curtis Road appears to have been closed for a few weeks, with the phone listing for the hotel yesterday not connecting calls to the hotel.

A local businessman yesterday said he’d noticed the hotel hadn’t been open for about five weeks.

Mr Cordwell said several factors were taking their toll.

He said these included higher government costs to run a venue, such as increased taxes and fees associated with holding a licence, greater competition brought on by the arrival of the big supermarket chains, and Sunday trading.

“In this area we are going through a fairly rugged time,” Mr Cordwell said.

“Dan Murphy’s opened in Rockhampton only in the past few months and that is definitely having an impact across the board.

“Sunday trading is another thing that is making it tougher.”

He said the current environment was “a sign of the times”.

“The hotel and club industry is going through a hard time across the state and these won’t be the last venues that will fall into tough times,” Mr Cordwell said.

Roger Postle, a spokesman for BDO, the receivers handling both the Lionleigh and O’Dowd’s Irish Pub, said there had been strong interest.

“We had a good roll-up of people, both locally and from interstate, for our auction of the Lionleigh,” Mr Postle said.