US hospitality services company Delaware North – one of the world’s largest privately owned companies in the sector – has begun its gaming portfolio acquisitions in Australia, purchasing two pubs in Brisbane.
The company is looking to expand its presence in Australia and New Zealand, and has recently executed several acquisitions and partnership agreements to that effect. In the pub/gaming space it has acquired the Shafston Hotel in East Brisbane and Aspley Hotel in the northern suburbs of Brisbane.
The purchases help Delaware North begin its presence in Australia’s gaming and hospitality industry, with the Shafston Hotel housing a substantial gaming lounge of 34 EGMs in Brisbane’s CBD, while Aspley Hotel includes 40 EGMs.
“We’re on the cusp of a growth phase that will create direct and indirect new employment opportunities for hospitality and food services workers, which will translate into economic prosperity for state and local economies, and businesses that are active in hospitality services,” stated Gary Brown, managing director of Delaware North.
While the two pubs are owned solely by Delaware North, Open Arms Hospitality acted in a consulting role to identify the hotels as an appealing purchase, and will assist with operations post-purchase settlement.
In other recent partnership agreements in Australia and New Zealand, Delaware North has also extended it’s agreement with Sydney Trains to open several new F&B outlets at Sydney’s Central Station in the next few months; it has been appointed the hospitality partner of Wellington’s Westpac Stadium; and will become the long-term operator of Pinewood Lodge in Queenstown – an accommodation offering that features backpacker dorms, lodge-style private rooms and new four-star self-contained cabins.
Delaware North operates high-profile and iconic locations around the world, including London’s Wembley Stadium, the Singapore Sports Hub, Melbourne and Olympic Parks and Sydney Cricket Ground. Across the globe, the company’s 55,000 employees serve over half a billion people annually. Delaware North currently makes AUD3.8 billion in revenue annually across all of its businesses globally.