Kickon Group has kicked again, bringing more skin into the game with purchase of The Dock and Wharf in Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast.
Overlooking the picturesque Mooloolah River and Marina, The Dock offers bars, a 500sqm restaurant seating over 300, multiple function rooms and an open-air beer garden.
The largest pub operator in the country, Australian Leisure & Hospitality (ALH), has a strong presence in Mooloolaba, operating O’Malleys Irish Bar, Pub Mooloolaba and the Wharf Tavern, but the waterside The Dock is considered the flagship venue in the precinct.
In early 2022 Kickon stakeholders looked into a lease and determined it was a “seamless fit” for the group’s operational system, and augured well with its ownership initiative.
Kickon has been executing a rapid portfolio expansion and this most recent purchase is expected to settle in November. The Melbourne-based group has previously been the force behind iconic Victorian venues The Continental Sorrento and Cinder at The Terminus in North Fitzroy, and the Osbourne Hotel in Fortitude Valley.
CEO Craig Shearer and his team bring nearly two decades’ experience, owning and operating more than 20 venues, and he sees future in sharing the spoils.
“The organisation has implemented a ‘Pub Partner Programme’, allowing employees who have been an integral part of the business to become pub owners and partners across new venue purchases.”
The programme has seen hard work pay off for Tim Lucas, previously manager at Kickon’s Plough Inn in Brisbane, who has taken a share in The Dock.
Acquisition of the pub has also brought about a new lease on the first level of The Wharf, which will become a new event space, with a fit-out slated for early 2024.
Kickon reports it has no initial plans to implement changes to operations at The Dock.
The Wharf – 123 Parkyn Pde, Mooloolaba, Qld
